Ukraine’s Lithium Goes to Trump-Linked Investors
World
Ukraine has granted the right to develop one of its largest lithium deposits to a group of U.S. investors that includes a billionaire closely linked to President Donald Trump, The New York Times reports.
According to the newspaper, the winning bidders for the Dobra lithium deposit in the Kirovohrad region include Ronald Lauder, heir to a cosmetics empire and a longtime acquaintance of Trump. The report notes that Lauder has known Trump since their student years and was among those who previously promoted the idea of the United States acquiring resource-rich Greenland.
Another investor involved is energy company TechMet, which is partly owned by a U.S. government investment agency established during Trump’s first presidential term to support strategic projects involving critical raw materials.
The transfer of lithium mining rights is part of a natural resources agreement signed by Ukraine and the United States on April 30. The deal grants Washington priority rights to purchase extracted resources and предусматривает investments in Ukraine’s development over the next ten years.
To implement the agreement, the two sides agreed to establish an investment fund with equal governance and financial contributions. Military assistance provided to Kyiv will also be counted as part of the U.S. contribution to the fund.
The tender for developing lithium deposits in the Kirovohrad region was announced in August 2025. At the time, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the project aimed to attract foreign investment into the newly created fund.
Another investor involved is energy company TechMet, which is partly owned by a U.S. government investment agency established during Trump’s first presidential term to support strategic projects involving critical raw materials.
The transfer of lithium mining rights is part of a natural resources agreement signed by Ukraine and the United States on April 30. The deal grants Washington priority rights to purchase extracted resources and предусматривает investments in Ukraine’s development over the next ten years.
To implement the agreement, the two sides agreed to establish an investment fund with equal governance and financial contributions. Military assistance provided to Kyiv will also be counted as part of the U.S. contribution to the fund.
The tender for developing lithium deposits in the Kirovohrad region was announced in August 2025. At the time, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the project aimed to attract foreign investment into the newly created fund.
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