US considering ‘rare earths’ deal with DR Congo in exchange for military aid: Report
The United States is reportedly engaged in exploratory talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) regarding a potential deal on rare earth elements, marking the latest effort by the Donald Trump administration to secure access to vital resources overseas following unsuccessful negotiations with Ukraine.
According to a report published in the Financial Times (FT) on Saturday, the proposed agreement involves the US gaining access to crucial minerals in exchange for providing security assistance to the African nation.
FT cited unnamed sources as saying talks between Washington and Kinshasa about a potential mineral deal have intensified recently, “although several obstacles remain” and they are “at a relatively early stage.”
According to reports by the United Nations, rebels backed by Rwandan troops have taken large swathes of land in eastern DRC, looting the resources of the mineral-rich region.
Kinshasa “invites the USA, whose companies source strategic raw materials from Rwanda ... to purchase them directly from us the rightful owners,” Tina Salama, a spokesperson for President Felix Tshisekedi, wrote on X last month.
Rebels are aiming to consolidate their hold in Congo’s east, which has trillions of dollars of mostly untapped mineral wealth, including cobalt, lithium, tantalum, and uranium.
In this regard, DRC Senator Pierre Kanda Kalambayi has sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Americans to partner up with Kinasha.
“The United States is well-positioned to forge an enduring partnership with the DRC – a nation that possesses over $24 trillion in untapped reserves of critical minerals,” Kalambayi -- who chairs the Senate’s Committee on Defense, Security and Border Protection -- wrote in his letter.
He said, in return for minerals, the African nation would expect the US military to increase its cooperation with Kinshasa’s forces, including training and arming them with weapons and equipment.
Late last month, an anticipated deal for Ukraine to hand over natural resources revenues to the United States, abruptly fell apart during an explosive meeting in the Oval Office.
Over the meeting, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not being grateful enough for US support, and sought to strong-arm him into making a peace deal with Russia to end the war.
The planned signing of the US-Ukraine agreement did not happen, and Zelensky left the White House grounds without answering reporters’ questions.
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