AP: France joining the U.S. in seeking access to Ukraine’s minerals; says it’s in talks since months

French Foreign Minister admits that France and Ukraine speak since month about France’s access to Ukrainian rare earth and minerals.
According to AP, he said:”We are not looking for payback,” Lecornu said. “But our defense sector will need a certain number of raw materials that are absolutely crucial in our own weapons systems … for the next 30 or 40 years.”
As France is losing access to African resources, it becomes urgent to find new sources and Ukraine has been a promising orientation.
Nevertheless, the question remains if the Ukrainian El Dorado is real. Many deposits and production companies have been sold, most value deposits are under Russian control. As well, why since 70 years, Ukraine or the Soviet Union did not develop these deposits? And why didn’t the Chinese come to digg in Ukraine as they did all over Africa and other parts of the World. The verification of deposits and resources will need an independent analysis and not just a homemade Ukrainian report.