The new owner of a large Ukrainian deposit has been named 0 8

The new owner of a large lithium deposit in Ukraine is Donald Trump's friend — Ronald Lauder. This was reported by The New York Times.

"The decision was made by a commission of the Ukrainian government. (...) Although formal approval from the country's cabinet of ministers is still required, commission officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the deal is essentially already concluded," the authors of the article write.

They referred to Ronald Lauder as the heir to the cosmetics manufacturing corporation Estée Lauder. According to journalists, he has known Trump since their college years. Moreover, it was Lauder who allegedly suggested to the president the idea of purchasing resource-rich Greenland.

"Another investor is TechMet — an energy company partially owned by the U.S. government's investment agency, established during Trump's first term," the publication notes.

Meanwhile, Trump revealed the conditions under which Washington agreed to participate in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. He clarified that the U.S. made this decision due to a deal with Kyiv regarding rare earth metals.