"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says that the war in Ukraine is actually about securing control over multi-trillion dollar reserves of rare earth minerals, which are critical components in everything from advanced military weaponry to electric vehicle batteries.
During an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation on June 9, Graham, one of Ukraine’s staunchest congressional supporters, remarked that Ukraine is “sitting on $10 to $12 trillion of critical minerals,” which he fears would be controlled by U.S. adversaries if Washington discontinues support for Kyiv’s war with Moscow.
“I don't want to give that money and those assets to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to share with China,“ the fourth term senator continued. “If we help Ukraine now, they can become the best business partner we ever dreamed of. That, $10 to $12 trillion of critical mineral assets could be used by Ukraine and the West, not given to Putin in China.”"
https://scnr.com/article/sen-lindsey-graham-says-ukraine-war-is-about-controlling-rare-earth-minerals_5a94389b273c11ef9c930242ac1c0002
"Washington “cannot afford” to allow Russia to achieve victory in the Ukraine conflict as this would mean losing direct access to vast mineral assets, US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has said.
In an interview with ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS on Sunday, Graham accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being a “megalomaniac” who is attempting to “re-create the Russian Empire by force of arms,” starting with Ukraine. He further claimed that if Moscow wins the current conflict, it will then take over Ukraine’s wealth and share it with China. Graham described that prospect as “ridiculous,” suggesting it would be better if this “gold mine” were available to the US instead.
“They’re sitting on 10 to $12 trillion of critical minerals in Ukraine. They could be the richest country in all of Europe... If we help Ukraine now, they can become the best business partner we ever dreamed of, that $10 to $12 trillion of critical mineral assets could be used by Ukraine and the West, not given to Putin and China,” Graham stated."
https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/geopolitics/ukraine-is-a-gold-mine-us-senator/