A ‘50-50’ minerals deal with US suits Ukrainians in a graphite mining village
US President Donald Trump has said he expects a minerals deal with Ukraine to be signed “very shortly”, without providing details. The US is reported to be seeking more favourable return on investment terms in the country’s valuable minerals sector. In Zavallia, a central Ukrainian village near an open-air graphite mine, residents and mine officials say they welcome a deal, but it should benefit Ukraine, not just the US.
Issued on: 22/03/2025 -
FRANCE23/AFP
By: Catherine NORRIS TRENT
Dmytro KOVALCHUK
James ANDRE
James ANDRÉ
Tarek KAI
Video by: Catherine NORRIS TRENT
Ihor Valeriiovych, the director of the open air Zavaliv mine in central Ukraine, points to a thick grey layer in the exposed rock and notes that it's “almost pure graphite”.
“It’s the only mine like it in Ukraine, the only one in Europe, and possibly the world, because this quarry contains three types of mineral resources,” Valeriiovych says.
Foremost among them: graphite, used in electric car batteries and the nuclear and defence sectors.
The details of any mineral deal brokered by Ukraine and the US are still being hammered out but Valeriiovych says he hopes this plant could be part of it.
“Personally, I would like it to be included in the deal because we need investment. Our equipment and facilities are outdated. However, any agreement should benefit Ukraine and our company, not just the United States.”
Graphite extraction at the mine has slowed almost to a standstill due to the war and soaring electricity costs. Valeriiovych and his colleagues are trying to modernise and attract investors.
“Pure graphite is the future because it’s big money,” he says.
Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth includes around one-fifth of the world’s proven resources of graphite, a mineral classified as critical by the EU, and among those at the heart of the minerals deal drawn up by the US.
The nearby village of Zavallia is a portrait of industrial decline.
Locals, among them former miners, hope American money could inject new life.
A group of elderly residents say they're upbeat about the prospects of US investment in the local mine. “If there’s a good owner and good salaries, then people will stop leaving. Prices are rising, but the plant is standing still, nothing is working. Everything is idle. And there’s nothing for the youth,” says one man.
A woman adds: “If they take our resources but give us nothing in return, I am against it. If it’s a 50-50 deal, then I wouldn’t mind.”
Click on video player above to watch the report.
US President Donald Trump has said he expects a minerals deal with Ukraine to be signed “very shortly”, without providing details. The US is reported to be seeking more favourable return on investment terms in the country’s valuable minerals sector. In Zavallia, a central Ukrainian village near an open-air graphite mine, residents and mine officials say they welcome a deal, but it should benefit Ukraine, not just the US.
Issued on: 22/03/2025 -
FRANCE23/AFP
By: Catherine NORRIS TRENT
Dmytro KOVALCHUK
James ANDRE
James ANDRÉ
Tarek KAI
Video by: Catherine NORRIS TRENT
03:00
The open-air Zavaliv mine in central Ukraine is rich in graphite.
© Screengrab, FRANCE 24
Ihor Valeriiovych, the director of the open air Zavaliv mine in central Ukraine, points to a thick grey layer in the exposed rock and notes that it's “almost pure graphite”.
“It’s the only mine like it in Ukraine, the only one in Europe, and possibly the world, because this quarry contains three types of mineral resources,” Valeriiovych says.
Foremost among them: graphite, used in electric car batteries and the nuclear and defence sectors.
The details of any mineral deal brokered by Ukraine and the US are still being hammered out but Valeriiovych says he hopes this plant could be part of it.
“Personally, I would like it to be included in the deal because we need investment. Our equipment and facilities are outdated. However, any agreement should benefit Ukraine and our company, not just the United States.”
05:07
BUSINESS © FRANCE 24
Graphite extraction at the mine has slowed almost to a standstill due to the war and soaring electricity costs. Valeriiovych and his colleagues are trying to modernise and attract investors.
“Pure graphite is the future because it’s big money,” he says.
Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth includes around one-fifth of the world’s proven resources of graphite, a mineral classified as critical by the EU, and among those at the heart of the minerals deal drawn up by the US.
The nearby village of Zavallia is a portrait of industrial decline.
Locals, among them former miners, hope American money could inject new life.
A group of elderly residents say they're upbeat about the prospects of US investment in the local mine. “If there’s a good owner and good salaries, then people will stop leaving. Prices are rising, but the plant is standing still, nothing is working. Everything is idle. And there’s nothing for the youth,” says one man.
A woman adds: “If they take our resources but give us nothing in return, I am against it. If it’s a 50-50 deal, then I wouldn’t mind.”
Click on video player above to watch the report.
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