Used to give a state all its power, rare earths are extremely coveted. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky should sign an agreement to Washington on this subject.
Donald Trump will meet Voldymyr Zelensky in Washington to finalize an agreement on the exploitation of Ukrainian rare land. An agreement to compensate for military aid of the United States in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. Aids put in place by Joe Biden. For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky was convinced by this agreement: “We are open to the fact that this can be developed with our partners, who help us protect our territory”he assured. Rare earths are extremely coveted by states around the world. These minerals make it possible to satisfy the power of a country on the international scale.
It is also a question for some countries to be able to put pressure. China, which has a significant percentage of rare earths, has threatened the United States and Japan to block mineral exchanges. China has 44 million tonnes of rare land out of 110 million tonnes worldwide. Since 1990, the country of the rising sun has held 40% of world reserves and 70% of production. The European Union is extremely dependent on Chinese productions. In 2021, 98% of consumption came from China.
Rare land: an issue for the EU
At the end of the 18th century, in Sweden, 17 raw materials were discovered. Movers extremely used in the industry and which are present in the same soils, generally. Metals are in particular Used in the manufacture of batteries, screens, medical imaging, drones, wind turbines, fighter planes … These minerals are also extremely important in the military defense of countries since they are used for weapons and targeting systems for radars and sonars. Hence, the interest of major powers to have them due to international rivalries.
By 2050, the European Union will need 26 times more rare earths than it has today. With the aim of reaching carbon neutrality, according to calculations of the Ku Lewen University for Eurometals, the European Association of Metal Producers. A major challenge, knowing that in France, rare earths are not numerous. There are some in Brittany, Guyana or Polynesia.
