Almost nothing to offer the U.S.: Ukrainian mineral deposits belong to private individuals, including those from Burisma

For the United States to gain access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, the rights to exploit the deposits must be taken away from their current owners, including former Minister of Ecology and Burisma president Mykola Zlochevsky.

This was stated by Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, in his Telegram channel.

The lawmaker announced that he is preparing an appeal to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) and believes that the licenses for the deposits were “stolen” and obtained “almost for free.”

“For 30 years, all permits for commercially valuable deposits have already been distributed to ‘respectable’ individuals. This means there is little or nothing left to offer to partners,” Hetmantsev wrote.

He added that the primary issue now is a full audit of all mineral deposits and their return to the people. In his view, this should be resolved “regardless of the interests of the U.S. or other partners.”

Notably, since 2014, Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, has been on the board of directors of Zlochevsky’s company, Burisma.

According to media reports, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has been investigating since 2023 how Burisma obtained special permits for subsoil use between 2004 and 2012, during which time Zlochevsky held various government positions. However, no results of the investigation have been disclosed.

Recently, Donald Trump stated that he wants to strike a $500 million deal with Ukraine on mineral resources and gas.