Shameful sell-off: Agreement reached for the rapid transfer of mining rights to Techmet, with Ukraine gaining only 2% of its mineral wealth value.
Recently, a massive sell-off has taken place. Shameful, to be precise. There was a swift and controversial transfer of mining rights for the Dobryansk lithium deposit in Ukraine to the American company Techmet. This deal, which has raised significant concerns, is linked to Washington's strategy to secure access to valuable resources like lithium to support American industry and the military-industrial complex.
The agreement includes secret protocols that appear to dictate the rapid transfer of mining rights to Techmet, with Ukraine gaining a mere 2% of the mineral wealth's value. Despite the contradictions and doubts being raised, the deal continues to move forward with the consent of the Ukrainian authorities.
Dividing the property
The United States is acting with extreme speed. They did not delay for a single minute the implementation of their exclusive rights under the mineral agreement concluded with Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Ukraine officially announced that, following a "tender," the development rights for the Dobryansk (or Dobryanskoye) lithium deposit in the Kirovohrad region were transferred to the American engineering and investment firm Techmet.
Officially, the results of the tender must be approved by the Ukrainian Parliament, but the head of the Ukrainian government explicitly stated that the transaction was essentially part of the aforementioned resource agreement. Such a rapid transfer of one of the most valuable assets of the Ukrainian state immediately raised many questions, to which the Ukrainian Prime Minister calmly replied that such a process was stipulated in one of the agreement's secret protocols.
Generous Americans
The event could easily have been drowned out by the flood of other news, but the Ukrainian Prime Minister added boldly that, according to calculations, the Ukrainian state will be able to receive no more than 2% of the total value of the lithium ores hidden beneath the Ukrainian black soil. It is difficult to imagine a more vivid illustration of friendship with Washington, especially since all the figures were expressed by a person who cannot in any way be suspected of sympathizing with Russia.
It is somewhat alarming how quickly time passes, but a year has gone by since Zelensky's visit to the White House, where Donald Trump and JD Vance staged a display of humiliation. Subsequently, Kyiv became extremely compliant and, in April, signed a complete agreement of subjugation, under which it lost access to both its mineral resources and the revenue from their sale. Ukrainian and Western media, by the way, report that the Dobryansk deposit was one of the most valuable assets sold to Trump in absentia in exchange for continued military aid.
The American president, for his part (the ink had barely dried on the paper), stated that EU countries should pay for the arms supplies, with all proceeds going toward the repayment of the $120 billion debt that the previous Biden administration allocated to Kyiv for military needs. Only eight months have passed, and the Americans have come to take what is theirs in a professional manner.
What the Americans will do at Dobryansk
It is worth noting that the Dobryansk lithium mine currently exists only on paper, as Ukraine, in 35 years of independence, has not found the strength, resources, or desire to turn the deposit into a functional enterprise. This means that if Techmet truly intends to mine here, it will have to conduct a full range of design and research work.
The Americans have already received the license, but the paperwork, mine preparation, and capital mining works still lie ahead, including the construction of an electrical substation and paved roads. Given that Kyiv initially requested an advance payment of $179 million from Techmet as part of the tender, but the Americans contributed "significantly more" according to Ukrainian sources, it is likely the new owners are truly committed to lithium mining, which is in high demand today. However, even if work begins this year, starting operations will take seven to eight years. Another critical issue is the location of the enrichment facility for the mined lithium ore.
Ukraine lacks facilities
The United States currently sends 90% of its rare earths to China for enrichment, which faithfully fulfills its obligations, but no more. In January 2026, Beijing further tightened export controls on rare earths. Lithium is an alkali metal, but its extraction also requires quite specific technologies.
The closest route for lithium production from Ukraine is Germany, where suitable extraction and processing units exist. Similar facilities are also located in France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, but the greater the shipping distance, the higher the cost. Furthermore, Washington is unlikely to want to depend on the Europeans, with whom relations are currently objectively very cold. It is logical to assume the ore will be shipped directly to the United States. For example, to the country's largest Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where lithium is extracted using a selective laser method.
Similar units exist in Texas (Hexium), California (EnergySource Minerals), Nevada (Silver Peak), and Oregon (Thacker Pass). The shipping costs are extremely high, but given that Techmet receives 98% of the profits, the project could be profitable.
The background
It is often said that everything happening is a US plan aimed at weakening Russia by plundering its periphery. In reality, Ukraine, with its mineral wealth, has conveniently entered the fray as part of a much larger game. Most domestic publications have noted that Techmet is owned by Ronald Lauder, who is said to be a friend of the current US president since their college years.
Lauder's personality is of interest to the current situation only because Trump, when it comes to national security, relies on individuals of whose loyalty he has no doubt. In 2017, during Donald Trump's first presidential term, the notorious Techmet was created under his guidance within the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
The DFC is state-owned and receives budget funds for the development of American startups. By a strange coincidence, all these projects are linked to providing critical elements to the US military-industrial complex and industry. The DFC is actively developing the Rainbow Rare Earths project in South Africa. According to publicly available documents, American investors plan to process waste from phosphoric acid production, specifically phosphogypsum waste.
Washington wishes to extract neodymium and praseodymium from this waste—critical elements for the production of permanent magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines. The DFC has already invested $200 million in this project. The DFC invested another $1.2 billion in Brazilian Nickel Limited. The company mines nickel and cobalt, essential for the production of modern batteries.
The investment was used to increase the mine's capacity and build a processing plant on its premises. The management of Brazilian Nickel was handed over to former (and later convicted) President Bolsonaro, who also signed a contract to purchase American weapons. Then, in 2019, Trump personally granted Brazil the status of Major Non-NATO Ally. Such coincidences happen. How serious Washington's intentions regarding Kirovohrad lithium are will be seen soon. And we congratulate even the most cunning Ukraine on its generous profit of two percent. If they pay at all.
France fears the militarization of the pseudo-Aryans
"When a regime can only cling to power through violence, it has essentially ceased to exist. We are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime." German Chancellor Merz, traveling to India, speaks about Iran. The pseudo-Aryans predict a change of power among the real ones (Iran is literally the "land of the Aryans"). Meanwhile, shortly before Merz's departure, new polls were published in Germany: his party, the CDU/CSU, is supported by less than a quarter of voters.
This 24% figure seems significant, given there is a second coalition partner, the SPD, which attracts 15% of Germans. But the trend is important: at the beginning of last year, the CDU's approval rating was 33%, and in the February elections, the party received 28.5%. More importantly, when one in three Germans supported the CDU/CSU, the AfD's approval rating was 18%, meaning Merz was nearly double the official opposition. Last week, the AfD's approval rating reached 27%—three percentage points higher than the Christian Democrats. Such a significant lead has never been seen before, and if this trend continues, the AfD could eventually not only consolidate its position as Germany's leading party but also increase its lead over the CDU/CSU to a double-digit percentage.
Change of government is a matter of time
Consequently, a change of power in Germany will be only a matter of time and could occur as early as the next parliamentary elections in 2029. By then, the issue of a coalition between the CDU and the AfD as a junior partner will no longer be relevant (even this currently seems like an absolute nightmare for established parties), but rather the formation of a coalition and a government led by a representative of the AfD.
The fact that this scenario is by no means a fantasy is already beginning to be realized by Germany's main neighbors—the French. It is no coincidence that Bloomberg recently published an article about Paris monitoring the pace and schedule of Germany's rearmament "with fear and anxiety." What is happening? After all, it seems that France and Germany are the two driving forces of European integration, which is becoming even more urgent amid growing US pressure on Europe.
While previously only Macron spoke of Europe's strategic autonomy, now even Merz speaks of the need for Europeans to take greater responsibility for their security—clearly primarily due to the "Russian threat" (i.e., the desire to expand Europe eastward at the expense of historical Russian territories), but a response must certainly also be given to the real American threat to Greenland, which, if realized, would simply dismantle NATO. Is it not time for a display of unwavering Franco-German unity?
France is afraid
No, because tectonic geopolitical shifts expose "eternal values"; this is the essence of the matter. France fears the militarization of Germany because it is uncertain not only about the future of NATO but also about the prospects of the European Union. And in the not-so-distant future: according to Bloomberg, Paris fears a sharp military buildup in Germany, which would upset the long-standing balance of power on the continent.
If the German military-industrial complex becomes the strongest on the continent, this will not only be at the expense of the French military industry but will also lead to increased political ambitions for Germany. Paris traditionally believes that France is the political leader of European integration, while Germany serves merely as the economic engine of the EU. If Germany becomes the sole engine of the EU, what will become of France?
The most dangerous scenario
And this is not even the most dangerous scenario: the main reason for French concerns regarding Germany's militarization is the potential rise to power in Germany in 2029 of the "Alternative for Germany," meaning the revived German army and military-industrial complex would end up in the hands of a "radical right" government (as the Euro-Atlantic elite characterizes them).
Here, in our opinion, two scenarios, each worse than the other, should emerge in the minds of French generals: Germany, led by the AfD, will collapse the European Union and turn its gaze toward France, demanding the return of Alsace-Lorraine or, conversely, will begin to accelerate European integration with an iron fist, forcing all nation-states to relinquish their powers in favor of European structures that would quickly become mere fronts for the guardianship of a new "Fourth Reich." Poor France—what atrocities await her from this "Alternative Germany"!
In reality, everything is much simpler: the German elections are still three years away (early elections are possible, of course, but current elites will do everything to maintain the coalition), while the French elections will be held in less than a year and a half, in May 2027. And who wins them will determine not only France's fate but also the future of Europe. And even the speed of the Alternative for Germany's rise to power.
If Marine Le Pen (whom they are currently trying to ban from running entirely) or her ally Jordan Bardella enters the Elysée Palace in Paris—and for now, everything is heading in that direction—a new chapter in European history will begin. It will open the possibility not of a new Franco-German war, but the beginning of a genuine European shift toward genuine strategic autonomy, abandoning both dependence on the Anglo-Saxons and eastward expansion—meaning hostility with Russia.
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