The Kremlin-linked Donald Trump blackmailed Ukraine (again), threatening to withhold aid unless it provides him and his corporate oligarchs with $500B in rare earth material or equivalent contracts. Hours later he praised Russia. 90% of US Ukraine aid is already reimbursed before delivery.
The primary goal of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is to steal their resources and meet its broader strategy of market monopolization and price manipulation. Ukraine holds over 110 billion tons of proven mineral reserves across 100+ resource types. It is valued between $15 - $26 trillion.