Ukraine does have other valuable commodities that don’t fall specifically in the rare earth element bucket but the U.S. still identifies as critical, such as graphite and titanium, according to Baskaran. The country also has produced manganese and has the “potential for reserves” of uranium and lithium, Bazilian says.

After a diplomatic breakdown last week, Donald Trump's envoy says teams from both nations hope to meet in Saudi Arabia.

About 20 countries are interested in joining a "coalition of the willing" to help Ukraine, according to UK officials. It is not thought every one of the countries, which are largely from Europe and the Commonwealth, would necessarily send troops but some could provide other support.

European leaders are gathering in Brussels to discuss how to support Ukraine and fend more for themselves on defense.

Twenty-six European Union leaders ignored Hungary to back a declaration of support for Ukraine at an emergency meeting, underscoring the difficult road ahead as the bloc tries to to mobilize new support for Kyiv.

The U.S. decision to stop sharing military intelligence with Ukraine hobbles its ability to strike and defend against the Russian army.

Ukraine is continuing to make good progress in implementing structural reforms, but its economic outlook remains exceptionally uncertain given its ongoing war against Russia's invasion, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday for a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ahead of talks later in the week with U.S.