The United States is discussing the possibility of concluding an agreement on the mining of rare earth metals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing sources in the US State Department.
“The DRC is endowed with a significant share of the world’s critical minerals required for advanced technologies. The United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector that are aligned with the Trump administration’s America First agenda,” a State Department spokesperson told the FT.
The reported agreement between Washington and Kinshasa could "create highly skilled jobs" and "integrate the country into regional and global value chains," the report said.
Furthermore, the US is likely to assist in training the Congolese armed forces if American companies receive rights to mine the DRC's rare earth metals—a strategic move given the country's ongoing battle against the M23 insurgency.
In early February, former US President Donald Trump showed interest in getting rare earth metals from Ukraine. An agreement was expected to be signed on February 28 during a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump at the White House. However, tensions caused the Ukrainian delegation to leave early, leading to the deal falling through. By Tuesday, Trump mentioned that Zelensky had expressed a willingness to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine and to sign the mineral extraction agreement.