Citation :
U.S. and European officials are discussing how to set up a new group of allies that cooperate on procuring minerals used in clean-energy technologies. Under the plan to form a so-called critical-minerals club, the U.S. would negotiate trade agreements focused on such minerals with allies including Japan, the EU and U.K., according to people familiar with it. Once the allies have trade agreements between themselves, they would try to reach additional agreements with such countries as Ukraine or Zambia on securing supplies of raw materials essential to batteries and other clean- energy technologies, according to the people. Both U.S. and European officials view the creation of a critical-minerals club as a way to try to resolve some of the tensions over the law. Under the proposal, Mr. Šefčovič said that members of the critical-minerals club could reach out to various suppliers, including countries in Africa as well as Ukraine, about buying minerals. He said such outreach could help Western countries compete with China and Russia for influence in Africa, while drawing Ukraine closer to the EU. Ukraine has large reserves of critical minerals and rare earths. “I believe that Ukraine can be the critical-raw-material superpower,” he said
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