Western support for Kyiv over the past year is due to US interest in a large stock of titanium metal in Ukraine. If Ukraine wins, the United States will have access to valuable deposits, Newsweek writes January 28, citing unnamed sources.
“The Department of the Interior has classified titanium as one of 35 minerals vital to the US economy and national security. But the US still imports more than 90 percent of its iron ore, and not all from friendly countries.
According to the publication, titanium is key to the development of the most advanced technologies of the West, so now they are making efforts to identify, develop and use the vast resources of Ukraine. The metal is widely used in the military sector for the production of fighter jets, helicopters, ships, tanks and long-range missiles.
“If Russia succeeds in capturing the country’s deposits and factories, Moscow will increase its global influence on all the most strategic resources,” the author writes.
In December, Reuters reported that the aircraft manufacturer Airbus plans to completely stop deliveries of titanium from Russia. As it became known, the company is increasing purchases of American and Japanese titanium.
At the same time, in June, as The Wall Street Journal reported, Airbus called on the European Union to abandon plans to impose sanctions on Russian titanium. It was noted that the aircraft manufacturer is seriously dependent on the supply of metal, which is used in critical aircraft components. Consultants from Alix Partners estimated that Russia supplies 65% of the titanium needed by Airbus.
