Ukraine officially awards lithium deposit to Trump-linked investors, $179 million set for development
Ukraine’s prime lithium deposit has been officially awarded to a U.S.-linked group of investors as the country courts U.S. President Donald Trump with business deals amid ongoing peace proposal talks.
The winner of the competition, launched in August 2025, is Dobra Lithium Holdings — a joint venture between TechMet, a U.S. government-backed mining firm, and The Rock Holdings, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram on Nov. 12.
The New York Times reported last week, citing anonymous Ukrainian officials, that the government was ready to approve the investment group, which also includes Trump ally Ronald S. Lauder — the man credited with the idea for the U.S. to take control over Greenland.
For now, the specific terms of Dobra Lithium Holdings' proposal have not yet been made public. The company has simply been awarded the rights to a product-sharing agreement with the Ukrainian government, meaning profits will also be shared with the state.
Dobra Lithium Holdings told the Kyiv Independent it "looks forward" to the next phase of negotiations over the terms of the product-sharing agreement with the government.
"Once developed, it will make a significant contribution to the economic recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine," the company said.
The announcement comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky leverages Ukraine’s economic potential to win over Trump's support for Kyiv’s 20-point peace proposal. As part of ongoing peace talks, Kyiv also announced an $800 billion "prosperity plan" to attract American and European investors over the next 10 years.
TechMet was long seen as the competition’s likely winner, in part due to it being backed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a government agency established under Trump’s first term.
Lithium is a highly in-demand mineral for its use in the AI, robotics, defense, and energy sectors. The untapped Dobra deposit, located in the central Kirovohrad Oblast, has been touted as one of Ukraine’s most promising mineral sites, containing between 80 and 105 million metric tons of lithium.
If the project is successful, it could attract in total over $500 million in investments, Deputy Economy Minister Yegor Perelygin wrote on Facebook on Jan. 13.
Under the competition's terms, the winner is required to invest a minimum of $179 million in capital investments into the site, Perelygin wrote. This includes $12 million for new geological surveys and audits within 2.5 years.
If the surveys and audits show that the deposit is worthwhile for the company to commercially mine, then at least $167 million will be directed towards production and enrichment in another four to five years.
The product sharing agreement with the state lasts for up to 50 years, according to the Economy Ministry.
In the first four years of the extraction, Dobra Lithium Holdings will pay the Ukrainian government 4% of the direct share of the profits, as well as a rental fee, corporate tax, and employees' taxes, totaling 13% of the company's profits, Perelygin said.
Once Dobra Lithium Holdings is in its fifth year of lithium production, the government gets a much bigger share — 22% — after the company recoups its initial costs.
Zelensky's administration drew attention to the deposit last year, following the signing of a minerals deal in April, and the subsequent creation of a U.S.-Ukraine reconstruction fund. The 2025 agreement gives preferential access to U.S. investors through the fund, and was jointly developed with the DFC.
"The (Dobra) project will provide an impetus for further attracting more investors," wrote Svyrydenko.
"Attracting investors from the U.S. and the EU also enhances international attention to Ukraine, brings in modern extraction and processing technologies, and creates additional security guarantees for our country."
