In Ukraine, the Russian army has taken up an important lithium deposit. And this questions the future of the mining agreement concluded with the United States.
Shevchenko’s deposit is located on the outskirts of the village of the same name, in eastern Ukraine. He was seized by Russian forces. Considered one of the most promising in Eastern Europe, it covers 40 hectares. It is one of the most precious deposits in the country due to its high concentration of lithium.
The site would contain 1.2 million tonnes of ore, located at a depth of 150 to 200 meters. A depth favorable to commercial exploitation. Which is no exception to Moscow.
“This deposit has great potential. This is a very important element of the future economy,” said a senior Russian official in the Donetsk region. Vladimir Ezhikov indicates that Rosatom, the nuclear public giant has already expressed his interest.
Heavy damage for kyiv
The Russians rejoice unlike the Ukrainians for whom the damage is heavy. This deposit is the first to fall into the hands of Russia since the signing of the mining agreement between kyiv and Washington. Agreement providing for the creation of an investment fund for the revival and reconstruction of Ukraine. The stake is therefore major.
The Shevchenko mine, renowned for its concentration of lithium but also for its quality, was supposed to serve as an economic lever in this partnership. The Ukrainian Ministry of Economy refuses to comment for the time being.
But it is certain that this represents a “challenge for the agreement” concluded with the Trump administration, says Vladimir Ezhikov, director of Critical Metals Corp, an American company which held in the past an exploitation license of the Shevchenko deposit.
Agreement in danger?
But Moscow already controls a lot. In the summer of 2022, just a few months after the start of the invasion, Russia already controlled nearly a fifth of the lithium and rare land reserves of Ukraine. Total value of deposits: estimated between 3,000 and 11,000 billion dollars.
Last week, the Ukrainian government authorized the first stages of the opening of the Dobra deposit, a large deposit of lithium. kyiv wants to attract foreign capital but she has fewer and fewer resources to offer.
So could the agreement be jeopardized? From the start, he has been doing in the face of several obstacles such as procedures for granting complex licenses and geological studies for certain obsoletes that make it difficult to estimate the true value of land.
But it is Russian progression that represents the greatest threat. It could compromise the economic strategy of the Zelensky government. Even if licenses were allocated, the exploitation of resources remains hypothetical – the mines, for some, close to the front lines.
During the negotiations, kyiv had tried to condition access to the mines to increased American military support, arguing that he was in the interest of the United States. But Washington systematically refused.
Could Donald Trump decide to increase his support to protect these resources? Time is running out. The Russian army is now closer to new titanium deposits and other raw materials such as uranium.
