Ukraine, which is heavily reliant on Western weapons to fend off Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing full-scale invasion, faces a critical situation as resource-rich areas, like the Krutaja Balka site near Berdyansk on the country's southeastern coast, remain under Russian occupation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to tie military aid for Ukraine to access to the country's rare earth resources, calling it "very selfish and self-centered,

Chancellor Scholz criticizes Trump's proposal for Ukraine to trade its rare earth minerals to US in exchange for military aid, calling this approach ‘selfish’ - Anadolu Ajansı

The German chancellor denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to link military support for Ukraine to rare mineral deals.

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, emphatically commented on Donald Trump's statements suggesting that Ukraine should provide the U.S. with valuable resources in exchange for continued military assistance and weapon supplies.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised US President Donald Trump's demand that Ukraine supply rare earth metals to the US in exchange for financial aid after an informal EU defence summit in Brussels on the evening of Monday,