A major lithium deposit development in Ukraine went to a friend of Trump, the NYT reports

Ukraine is handing development rights to the large Dobra lithium deposit in Kirovohrad Oblast to Ronald Lauder, a friend of U.S. President Donald Trump.

This was reported by The New York Times, citing sources.

According to the report, the tender was won by a consortium whose investors include billionaire Lauder—an heir to a cosmetics empire who has known Trump since their student days and who suggested to him the idea of buying Greenland. Another investor is TechMet, an energy company partly owned by a U.S. government investment agency created during Trump’s first term.

According to the NYT, the decision on the deposit has already been made by a commission and will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. Two commission members said the tender was impartial and that the winner met most of the tender’s criteria.

It is noted that Dobra is one of the largest lithium deposits in Ukraine. Its development could become the first project under the minerals agreement signed with the United States on April 30, 2025.

Earlier, Western media reported that before Trump’s election victory, he had been urged to continue military support for Kyiv in exchange for Ukraine’s natural resources.