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Cobalt, Critical, Strategic and Rare Earth Minerals and Metals

Exclusive: Trump seeks minerals refining on Pentagon bases to boost US output, sources say – by Ernest Scheyder and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters – March 10, 2025)

https://www.reuters.com/

March 10 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump aims to build metals refining facilities on Pentagon military bases as part of his plan to boost domestic production of critical minerals and offset China’s control of the sector, two senior administration officials told Reuters.

The move is one of several planned for an executive order Trump could sign as soon as Wednesday after he told the U.S. Congress last week he would “take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA.”

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Why critical minerals are a bargaining chip in the Canada-U.S. trade war – by Aya Dufour (CBC News Sudbury – March 06, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Canadian mining interests say U.S. has few options as China dominates supply chains

Over history, gold and silver coins have been major trade darlings, and can still spur investor frenzy depending on how they’re faring in markets. But as industries and economies deepen their dependence on critical minerals, these metals appear to be becoming as valuable as any commodity or currency.

Last week, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. in hopes of securing longer-term support during the war against Russia. But the Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump was cut short and any deal put on hold as the two, along with the U.S. vice-president, got wrapped up in a fiery exchange.

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Opinion | Trumps hunger for critical minerals is an opportunity for a made in Canada solution – by Flavio Volpe (Toronto Star – March 4, 2025)

https://www.thestar.com/

Canada faces a direct economic sovereignty challenge from U.S. President Donald Trump. The spectre of general tariffs and the weaponization of U.S. federal investments loom over Canada’s integrated manufacturing sector.

Canada should take this moment not just to defend itself but to set some of its own terms. We need a bold strategy focused on critical mineral extraction and processing capacity. Canada holds some of the world’s most valuable untapped resources that could rebalance our economic leverage in North America.

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With province facing tariffs, new OMA study finds Ontario exported $42B in mineral exports to U.S. in 2023 – by Staff (Canadian Mining Journal – March 5, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

A new report published by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), supported by Ontario’s Ministry of Mines, reveals Ontario’s domestic mineral exports—minerals and metals extracted in the province—were valued at $64 billion in 2023, making up over a quarter of Ontario’s total exported goods.

Ontario’s mineral exports to the United States totaled $42 billion, including $5.7 billion from critical minerals such as platinum group metals, nickel, copper, uranium and zinc. Fifty-Seven per cent of all Ontario’s critical mineral exports went to the United States.

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PDAC: Trade war seen fast-tracking mine approvals – by Frederic Tomesco (Northern Miner – March 5, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Could the escalating trade war with the United States unwittingly spur Canadian authorities to cut approval times for much needed mines and natural-resource projects? Some investment bankers think so. Citing “national emergency” reasons, U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday slapped 25% import tariffs on most Canadian goods and 10% on energy and minerals.

That prompted Canada to retaliate with $30 billion worth of duties against its biggest trading partner. Another $125 billion worth of Canadian levies are set to come in about three weeks after the government consults with industry, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

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Norway House chief says First Nations can help Manitoba’s potential to be global ‘Costco of critical minerals’ – by Ozten Shebahkeget (CBC News Manitoba – March 02, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/

Manitoba, Canada neglect First Nations mining despite clear benefits, Chief Larson Anderson says

The chief of the only First Nation to fully own a mining company in Manitoba says he wants the provincial and federal governments to recognize his community’s role in boosting critical mineral exploration as a global race to secure those materials heats up.

Norway House Cree Nation Chief Larson Anderson says his community took full ownership of the Minago nickel project on the Thompson nickel belt in November. The mine could enter production within the next five years, he said.

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Trump, Zelenskyy nix minerals deal – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – February 28, 2025)

Global mining news

United States President Donald Trump and his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled a mineral rights and security agreement at the White House on Friday after a news conference degenerated into a rare spectacle of raised voices and name-calling.

The deal would have been a showpiece for Trump’s transactional presidency and another sign of the resource nationalism that’s swept the globe in recent years as countries transition away from fossil fuels. The scrubbed signing comes as overt U.S. support for Nato declines and Trump pushes for a stronger European role in its own defence.

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David Eby’s green goals at odds with his plan to fast-track B.C. mines – by Rob Shaw (National Post – February 27, 2025)

https://nationalpost.com/

He’s going full steam ahead with his plan to harness critical minerals — despite Indigenous and environmentalist resistance

Deep in deficit, wrestling with a stalled economy and under the threat of American tariffs, B.C.’s eco-focused New Democratic government has turned to an unlikely economic ally: the mining sector.

Premier David Eby has peppered his speeches over the last two months with support for new and expanded mines. His government is poised to introduce legislation within weeks to fast-track at least four major mining projects, with the rationale they’ll generate much-needed jobs and revenue.

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Congo offers US, Europe minerals in exchange for peace – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – February 24, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

In a bold diplomatic move, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi has reportedly proposed granting the United States and Europe access to the country’s vast mineral resources — on the condition that they intervene to end the ongoing conflict ravaging the nation.

Speaking on Sunday, Presidential Spokesperson Tina Salama urged the US to “directly buy critical minerals” from Kinshasa rather than sourcing “looted” and “smuggled” resources through Rwanda. She extended the same appeal to Europe and other buyers, emphasizing that the DRC is the “true owner” of these valuable commodities.

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Putin Dangles Rare Earths Deals for U.S. in Russia and Occupied Ukraine (New York Times – February 24, 2025)

https://www.nytimes.com/

In an interview broadcast on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said U.S. companies stood to profit in Russia, but suggested a Ukraine peace deal was still far off.

President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday said American companies could do lucrative business deals in Russia and even help mine rare earths in Russian-occupied Ukraine, further amplifying the Kremlin’s message to President Trump that there was money to be made from a better relationship with Moscow.

Mr. Putin, in an interview with Russian state television that was released late Monday, said that Russia had an “order of magnitude” more rare earth metals than Ukraine and that Moscow was “ready to work with our foreign partners, including the Americans,” in developing those deposits.

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Ontario PCs pledge $500-million for critical minerals processing but spending questions loom – by Darius Snieckus (Hamilton Spectator – February 25, 2025)

https://www.thespec.com/

Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives have pledged to set up a $500-million critical mineral processing fund to invest in “strategically located” facilities to develop the province’s vast resources of lithium, graphite, zinc, cobalt and other key minerals and metals.

The fund, a central economic plank in the party’s re-election platform released on Monday, is the biggest government pledge so far to build a network of refining facilities mining experts say are needed to ensure Canada reaps the benefits of producing minerals and metals important for the global energy transition.

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US, Ukraine ramp up talks on minerals deal during envoy trip – by Daryna Krasnolutska and Alberto Nardelli (Bloomberg News – February 21, 2025)

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Ukrainian and US negotiators are seeking to move past the breakdown in transatlantic relations this week to finalize a deal on critical minerals, a person with knowledge of the talks said.

Two days after President Donald Trump hectored President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a “dictator” who needed to move quickly on a peace deal, Ukrainian officials are discussing the minerals issue with US special envoy Keith Kellogg during a visit to Kyiv, the person said on condition of anonymity as talks take place behind closed doors.

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Column: A tungsten-tipped answer to the West’s critical metals dilemma – by Andy Home (Reuters – February 19, 2025)

https://www.reuters.com/

The critical minerals war is escalating. China’s response to US President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff hike on Chinese imports includes restricting exports of another five esoteric components of the periodic table.

Exports of bismuth, indium, molybdenum, tellurium and tungsten will only be allowed subject to Ministry of Commerce approval they will not be used in military applications. That’s a big problem for tungsten in particular. In a world where just about every metal is critical for someone, the word may be losing its meaning, as my colleague Clyde Russell has argued.

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Congo Is Bleeding. Where Is the Outrage? – by Denis Mukwege (New York Times – February 19, 2025)

https://www.nytimes.com/

The world is witnessing a new era of conflict. In Gaza, images of devastation have dominated headlines for more than a year. In Ukraine, nations have rallied to defend sovereignty against aggression, deploying diplomatic interventions, sending military aid and enacting sweeping sanctions with urgency. Yet the war unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains an afterthought. A bloody conflict is met with condemnations but no meaningful action. This stark contrast is not just neglect; it is selective justice.

Last month Goma, the largest city in the east of Congo, fell to the M23 rebel group, backed by neighboring Rwanda, as part of the group’s decade-long campaign to control the region’s mineral-rich territory. The assault on Goma resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths in the first week alone and thousands of injuries.

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GRAPH: The critical minerals to watch in the US – by Frik Els (Mining.com – February 17, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Statements that Trump’s plans to make Canada the 51st state is all about metals and minerals, a deal for Ukraine’s rare earths (now rejected) being included in peace talks, and the current US administration reiterating its desire to buy Greenland, have thrust critical minerals into the public view like never before.

Amid all this talk it’s easy to forget that anything to do with metals and minerals – whether deemed critical or not – is really about one country. China.

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