“Why we are fighting: America is openly drooling over Ukraine’s vast untapped titanium reserves”.
Titanium is used extensively in advanced military applications..
KPI GROUP
KPI GROUP is in the process of large-scale import for localization of titanium.
Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency published an article with the same title on the 29th (local time), claiming that the United States is targeting Ukraine's titanium and other things, and that Ukraine is interested in becoming a "resource colony" of the West.
This Sputnik article, which quoted US government officials and others, did not specify the source, but it seems that some arbitrary interpretation was added based on the previous day's report by Newsweek, an American current affairs magazine.
Newsweek, in an article titled "Ukraine's Titanium Fight," said, "The United States and its allies are currently making initial efforts to identify, develop, and exploit Ukraine's vast and vital metal resources." It is a key metal in the development of military technology that will form the backbone of future deterrence against Korea.”
At the heart of it all is titanium, a lightweight yet strong metal used extensively in advanced military applications such as fighter jets, helicopters, warships, tanks and long-range missiles, Newsweek explained.
China produced titanium sponge last year, accounting for 57% of global production.
"If Ukraine wins this war, the United States and its allies will be in a dramatic position to carve out a new conduit for titanium," he said.
The United States classifies titanium as one of 35 minerals essential to national security, but not all of these strategic resources are imported from allies.
In addition, the United States no longer has 'titanium sponge' (titanium sponge), which is a raw material for various strategic materials in national defense stockpiles, and the last titanium sponge producer in the United States closed its doors in 2020, Newsweek reported.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USP), China produced more than 231,000 tons of titanium sponge last year, accounting for 57% of global production. It was followed by Japan at 17% and Russia at 13%. Kazakhstan produced about 18,000 tonnes and Ukraine over 4,000 tonnes.
“Titanium is a major weakness for the United States,” said a source familiar with the US defense industry. Russia was one of the major suppliers,” he told Newsweek.
Last year's annual defense spending bill in the United States was said to include "examine the feasibility of using Ukraine's titanium as a potential alternative to Chinese and Russian resources."
Sputnik said, “Titanium is just one of dozens of natural resources that Ukraine is blessed with.
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