KOPANKY, Ukraine -- With an agreement in the works that would give the United States access to Ukraine's mineral wealth, residents of Kopanky, home to one of the largest lithium deposits in Europe, are cautiously optimistic.
Some villagers see the potential for economic benefits. "It wouldn't be bad. Jobs would come to the village. There are no jobs now," said Ira Motza, a resident of the village.
Amid diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s three-year full-scale war against Kyiv, villagers in Kopank, in the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine, are hoping that peace would also mean a revival of their community.
"Let them make a deal so our boys can return from war. Then we'll have our own workforce. We'll have everything," said Ihor Slyvenko.
U.S. Access To Ukraine's Minerals
Another villager welcomed the initiative. "I stay out of politics, but I think we should be friendly," said Ivan Artemov. "Just as [the United States is] helping us out, we should help them out."
While the Kirovohrad region in central Ukraine is not a primary frontline area in the war, it has endured several attacks targeting its infrastructure and civilian population.
A framework agreement on access to Ukraine's rare minerals as a step toward ending the war with Russia is the main topic of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on February 28.
The agreement would grant the United States access to Ukraine's natural resources but would not provide specific U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, a key demand by Kyiv. Many of the details are expected to outlined in a future agreement.
According to Trump, an agreement would boost Ukrainian economic growth and enable the United States to recover some of the aid it has provided to Ukraine over the previous three years.
Calling it a "huge economic development project," Trump has said an agreement would "be good for both countries."
Can Ukraine Get A Fair Deal?
Rare earth minerals are highly sought after for defense technologies, as well as for batteries, computers, and mobile phones. Lithium plays a crucial role in battery production, while titanium is essential for manufacturing airplanes and other applications.
There are concerns, however, in Kopanky about whether Ukraine will get a fair deal.
"I am in favor, but why should U.S. businesses come here? Can't Ukraine handle it itself? Of course it can," said Natalya Pykulenko.
Other villagers echoed such caution. "We should do it, but maybe not the way they're proposing," Tetyana Slevenko said. "Maybe I don't understand everything, but I wish they weren't fleecing us."
A Ukrainian company currently has permission to mine the site in Kopanky but extraction has not yet begun. Research is still under way to assess the environmental impact -- an issue of significant concern for some locals.
"We won't have water anymore in our springs or our ponds. And everyone knows very well that lithium is harmful," said Nadia Omechenko. "Everything has been dug up around here. There's a titanium mine over there. Everything has been unearthed. There are no roads left. There's also a uranium mine nearby and piles of soil everywhere. They drench everything with acid -- nothing grows in our gardens anymore."
