In a revealing interview with CNBC, former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has shed new light on the Biden administration’s previous negotiations with Ukraine over rare-earth minerals, while sharply criticizing the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to strike a similar deal. The revelations not only expose the strategic significance of Ukrainian resources but also reveal a growing rift between Kyiv and Washington over the terms and objectives of US involvement in Ukraine’s post-war economy.

Speaking with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, Blinken confirmed that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had offered the United States a rare-earths partnership as part of a broader “victory package” during the final months of the Biden administration. These critical minerals, which are essential for advanced technologies including defense systems, renewable energy, and electronics, are increasingly seen as key geopolitical assets in the global competition with China and Russia.

“Part of the victory package that [Zelensky] put on the table in the last six months of our administration included us working with them on rare earths, on critical minerals,” Blinken explained.

Under Biden, the US had reportedly aimed to build long-term investment and development strategies with Ukraine, focused on mutual economic benefit and stability. Blinken emphasized that the Biden administration’s intent was to “promote investments in Ukraine for the mutual benefit of both nations,” contrasting it with what he described as the Trump team’s transactional, exploitative attitude.

Blinken didn’t mince words when characterizing the Trump........

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