Ukraine has granted the right to extract lithium in the Kirovohrad region to billionaire and friend of US President Donald Trump, Ronald Lauder. This is reported by UNN with reference to The New York Times.
Details
According to the publication, the consortium that will develop the lithium has close ties to the Donald Trump administration. Ronald Lauder himself is the heir to a cosmetics empire.
It is also noted that Lauder and Trump have known each other since their college days. It was Lauder who allegedly gave Trump the idea to buy resource-rich Greenland.
Another investor, according to NYT, is the energy company TechMet, which is partly owned by the US government's investment agency, established during Trump's first term.
In addition, The New York Times reports that the decision to develop lithium has already been made by the relevant commission and will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in the near future.
Additionally
The "Dobra" lithium deposit, which, according to NYT, the Americans were interested in, is located in the Novoukrainsky district of the Kirovohrad region. It contains significant reserves of lithium ore, approximately 80-105 million tons of ore.
In addition to Kirovohrad region, there are lithium deposits in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, where battles are currently taking place between Ukrainian and Russian troops.
Recall
In September 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine updated the classifications of reserves and resources of mineral resources of the state subsoil fund. This is a key element of subsoil use reform and the fulfillment of international obligations, in particular the agreement between Ukraine and the United States on subsoil.