US President Donald Trump has said he wants access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits in exchange for future military aid that Kyiv needs as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s aggression.

Ukraine previously offered access to its rare earth minerals in hopes of keeping the Trump administration engaged in its fight with Russia.

President Donald Trump said his administration wants an agreement with Ukraine for the war-torn country to offer access to its critical mineral resources in return for aiding its defense against Russia.

He is the author of Does Conquest Pay? The Exploitation of Occupied Industrial Societies. Today, about 20 percent of southeastern Ukraine is under Russian occupation, including Crimea and large parts of the Donetsk,

Ukraine has become a war lab for the future since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. As a result, Ukraine is at the forefront of military technology, leveraging robotics and automation to redefine modern warfare and serve as a testing ground for future combat technologies.

There are increasing reports from the front about massive Ukrainian drone attacks on targets in Russia. In response, Moscow has engaged a record number of drones in recent months. "We have a positional war on both sides,