Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed granting the United States access to Ukraine's rare mineral resources,

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed granting the United States access to Ukraine's rare mineral resources, including those in Russian-occupied territories. He made this offer in an interview with Russian state television on Monday, according to British media outlet BBC.

According to a Ukrainian minister, this proposal came after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly pressured to secure Ukraine's minerals in exchange for support.

In the television interview, Putin stated that he is prepared to allow American partners to participate in mining and joint projects in Russia's 'new territories,' including parts of eastern Ukraine that Russia has occupied since launching a full military operation three years ago.

Putin said, "In this proposal, both countries (the U.S. and Russia) could cooperate in aluminum extraction and stabilize supply prices in the U.S."

In the interview, Putin opposed Trump's pressure regarding U.S. access to Ukraine's mineral reserves, stating that Russia was already willing to work with foreign partners and mining companies on these resources.

He further added, "The potential agreement between America and Ukraine on rare minerals is not a concern. I would certainly emphasize that there are more such resources in Ukraine than there are elsewhere."

"Similarly, it applies to the new territories. We are ready to attract foreign partners to our historical regions that have returned to the Russian Federation," Putin said.

The President also suggested that Russia and the U.S. could collaborate on aluminum production in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, where Russian aluminum maker Rusal has its largest refining project.

Putin's remarks followed a cabinet meeting on Russia's natural resources. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that this proposal opened up "wide possibilities," adding that the U.S. needs rare minerals, and Russia has "abundant reserves" of them.

Putin's intervention comes at a time when Ukraine is under growing pressure from the Trump administration to sign an agreement granting access to its mineral reserves.

Kyiv estimates that nearly 5% of the world's critical raw materials are found in Ukraine. However, Russia has seized or occupied some of these reserves in the past three years since the aggression.

Earlier this month, Trump stated that the U.S. had provided approximately $500 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine. He expressed interest in gaining access to Ukraine's mineral reserves to make up for that amount.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to debate this issue, insisting that any agreement must include security guarantees for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina stated, "The discussions about the agreement have been very constructive, and nearly all major details have been finalized."