Ukraine could become Europe’s leading producer of rare minerals. It has Europe’s largest reserves of titanium, an essential mineral for the space, military and chemical industries. Some deposits are comparable to the giant Lac Tio site in Canada. Enough to meet the needs of the United States and Europe for at least the next twenty-five years, and considerably reduce the West’s dependence on producers such as China and Russia. Ukraine also produces graphite, zirconium and manganese. Out of around fifty essential minerals, the United States has identified twenty-three that it considers strategic, such as titanium, graphite, lithium and beryllium. It is one of the few countries in the world to have beryllium, a mineral used in the composition of special alloys. Exploitation licences for around thirty deposits have already been granted over the past few years to Ukrainian or foreign investors. A further thirty or so are pending. After further studies, a further four hundred licences could be issued.
