U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly proposed that American support for Ukraine in its war against Russia should be contingent on access to the country’s strategic resources. Meanwhile, the European Union has already secured a Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials and Batteries with Ukraine, recognizing its substantial—though not fully quantified—reserves of critical raw materials. This underscores the escalating geopolitical competition over Ukraine’s natural wealth, especially as global demand surges for essential resources like lithium, nickel, and rare earth elements. Tragically, the availability of these vital raw materials has become increasingly entangled with global conflicts.
We have discussed this in our recent paper, suggesting potential pathways aiming to secure a sustainable supply of these essential resources:
Spent lithium-ion battery recovery
