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The Kremlin’s \u201cexperts\u201d estimated<\/a> the potential gains from such a deal to be $15 billion and predicted extraordinary success for both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering Moscow\u2019s unyielding stance when it comes to negotiations and the US\u2019s calls for a ceasefire, Putin\u2019s offer became a surprise not just for international observers, but for Russians as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Denial <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, Russian \u201cZ-patriots\u201d reacted with outrage. The adepts of the so-called \u201cSMO\u201d (special military operation) and the idea of neo-imperial expansion condemned \u201cplaying nice\u201d with the US. Appealing to the Russian ideological war against the global West was one of the arguments that Russian radical groups used as a part of this narrative. Putins\u2019 proposal to give up resources in favor of \u201can overseas enemy\u201d was so unpopular among Moscow\u2019s expansion enthusiasts that some decided to \u201cdust off\u201d corruption accusations against authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The narrative of the price Russia paid to take over a part of Ukrainian territory was an additional way to encourage a negative reaction to \u201crare earth metal reverence\u201d for Trump. All Russian losses would allegedly be in vain if the US became the sole beneficiary of the war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, rhetorical questions addressed to the Kremlin, such as \u201cIs joyful trade with the US a multipolar world or not yet?\u201d have spread among the radical channels of the Russian segment of Telegram. Zakhar Prilepin, a propagandist writer, drew attention to the fact that the Global South disappeared from Russian rhetoric immediately after the slightest chance of direct negotiations with the Western hegemon arose. \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter what our yellow, redskin or black \u201cpartners\u201d think, let\u2019s dance, the white daddy is back\u201d<\/em>, – he wrote. By the way, with this Russian propagandists practically admitted that the concept of the Global South and a multipolar world are fictional constructs created to bargain with the West. Even more, Prilepin\u2019s post highlights the Kremlin\u2019 disdainful attitude towards non-Western partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Great Plan\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The rhetoric around Putin\u2019s announcement changed drastically within a couple of hours. Now the search for the \u201cgreat plan\u201d hidden within the Russian president\u2019s words became the purpose of the Kremlin\u2019s spokespeople. Russian media space was filled with calming messages about the benefits that rare materials agreement may bring to Russian people. In this way, the Kremlin is persuading its population that even if the war does not end with Ukraine’s capitulation and instead transitions to a \u201cfrozen ceasefire\u201d stage, Moscow would still have the upper hand thanks to the economic agreement with the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This narrative is a continuation of the previous announcements about \u201cworkarounds<\/a>\u201d that Russia was planning to use to sabotage the ceasefire agreement. Thus, possible agreement with the US will help Russia improve its economic situation in preparation for the next war effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A part of Russian commenters went even further, calling Putin\u2019s idea a genius political move that would help outplay the West. The majority of theories developed in this context revolve around political and diplomatic \u201ccontests\u201d that would become available to Russia thanks to the rare earth metals agreement with the US. For example, some \u201c\u2018experts\u201d promote a theory about the possibility of removing sanctions or a chance to \u201ccatch\u201d America on the hook of investments and use it to force Washington into accepting Ukrainian territories as part of Russia. At the same time, Putin\u2019s attempt to exploit the U.S. president\u2019s “appetite” for rare earth metals in order to provoke a split between the Euro-Atlantic ally is an obvious combination, extremely primitive in its design and implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fantasies about the possibility of putting Ukraine at a disadvantage also cause extraordinary enthusiasm among pro-Kremlin war supporters. Russians relish the thought of creating circumstances that would be dreadful for Kyiv during peace talks. Moscow propagandists\u2019 absurd logic even entertains a scenario where exploring Russian rare earth metals deposits would somehow be counted as part of Ukraine’s \u201cdebt\u201d to the US. This strategy looks especially audacious seeing that the analysts question<\/a> Russia\u2019s capacity to deliver the amounts of resources promised by Putin, making the \u201ccooperation\u201d that the Kremlin offers to the US deliberately rigged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is worth noting that the change in rhetoric could be related to Russian \u201cpolitical scientists” and “economists\u201d noticing one of the crucial details in Putin’s speech\u2014a remark<\/a> about \u201cnew territories.\u201d By ‘new territories,’ the Russian president refers to the temporarily occupied Ukrainian regions, which Moscow considers its own. Therefore, the aggressor country is planning to sign an agreement with the US, which would practically legalize seizing Ukrainian territories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, Putin\u2019s initiative to mine rare earth metals in Russia along with the US highlights the Kremlin\u2019s level of disregard towards the norms of international law, just as most of the Russian authorities\u2019 previous promises. Moreover, in trying to offer mining resources from the occupied territories to the American administration, Moscow is trying to split the Western community. Therefore, hidden behind Putin’s proposals regarding minerals is not profits for American companies, but an intention to cause quarrels between allies and continue external aggression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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