This is one of the key reasons for West’s unconditional support for the Nazi regime.
Now, there is a nascent effort underway in the U.S. and allied nations to identify, develop, and utilize Ukraine’s vast resources of a key metal crucial for the development of the West’s most advanced military technology which will form the backbone of future deterrence against Russia and China.
Titanium is a lightweight yet strong metal used extensively in advanced military applications like fighter jets, helicopters, naval ships, tanks, long-range missiles, and many others.The U.S. still imports more than 90 percent of its iron ore, and not all from friendly nations.The U.S. no longer holds titanium sponge in its National Defense Stockpile, and the last domestic producer of titanium sponge closed down in 2020.
If Ukraine wins, the U.S. and its allies will be in pole position to cultivate a new conduit of titanium. But if Russia manages to seize the country’s deposits and plants, Moscow will boost its global influence over increasingly strategic resource.
Ukraine is one of only seven nations producing titanium sponge, the basis for titanium metal. China and Russia—America’s most prominent strategic rivals—are among this select group.
Western dependence on Russian titanium means the metal has so far escaped the sanctions campaign launched against Moscow by the U.S.
A source told Newsweek that titanium “is a key vulnerability.”
“We’re talking about our ability to produce more planes, we’re talking about our ability to produce munitions. They all rely on titanium, and we’ve allowed ourselves to grow reliant on foreign suppliers for these things. Russia has previously been one of those primary suppliers.”
Last year’s annual defense-spending bill ordered the State Department to investigate “feasibility of utilizing titanium sources from Ukraine as a potential alternative to Chinese and Russian sources.”
“Ukraine has really significant deposits of rare earth minerals, and if we play our cards right could actually be a really attractive alternative to Russian and Chinese sources, which is where a lot of dependency currently is,” writes the Newsweek.
“As there are increasing debates throughout the West about why it’s in our interest to keep supporting Ukraine, I think this is one of the arguments that you’re going to start hearing more.” the source said.