Ukraine to open bid for major lithium mine as it eyes mineral deal with US: A Trump push impact?

Ukraine has announced plans to auction mining rights for a large lithium deposit, a move tied to a wider minerals deal with the United States that carries the imprint of US President Donald Trump’s push for transactional ties with Kyiv.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday that a tender has been launched for the “Dobra” lithium site in the central Kirovohrad region. The project is expected to be the first initiative under a joint investment fund with Washington that was agreed in April, as Ukraine seeks to strengthen US backing while it continues to resist Russia’s invasion.

“We expect an investor who will ensure not only extraction but also the development of value-added production in Ukraine,” Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram, noting that the deposit contains “significant” reserves of the battery metal.

The US-Ukraine minerals framework, heavily promoted by Trump, grants American companies preferential access to Ukrainian resources while channelling investment into the country’s reconstruction. The arrangement also stipulates that any US military supplies, including weapons, will count as part of Washington’s contribution to the fund.

But the Dobra site is already contested. Critical Metals, a Nasdaq-listed firm, argues that it holds rights to the deposit through its link with European Lithium, its largest shareholder.

Despite the dispute, Kyiv’s economy ministry confirmed that the winning bidder will secure a 50-year licence and be required to invest at least $179 million.

“This amount includes both funding for geological exploration and the launch of production and enrichment,” the ministry said. It added that environmental compliance, the use of Ukrainian goods and labour, and community development are built into the agreement.

The lithium tender underscores Ukraine’s attempt to attract U.S. capital to its natural resource sector, a central pillar of the Trump-era deal signed in May after lengthy negotiations. By offering American firms priority in resource extraction, Kyiv is betting on securing political and economic support from Washington as the war grinds on.

With inputs from agencies