Russia eyes collaboration with Musk on Mars and rare metals
Kirill Dmitriev, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin on business matters, announced on Tuesday that a meeting between Russian representatives and Elon Musk may soon occur. The topic of discussion would be cooperation on Mars missions, in which Russia would participate.
Russian media reported that Dmitriev recently met with Roscosmos's new head, Dmitry Bakanov, to discuss potential cooperation with the USA in the space sector.
In February, Putin appointed Dmitriev as a special representative for investment cooperation with foreign countries. His role is to establish connections with foreign investors wanting to enter the Russian market or return if the sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine are lifted.
On Tuesday, Putin stressed that Russia does not intend to facilitate the return of Western companies to its market. He instructed the government to monitor Western companies with contract clauses allowing them to repurchase their shares, which could lead to independence from Russian shareholders. Each case will be meticulously analysed.
Russia seeks cooperation with the USA on rare earth metals
Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told journalists that Russia is interested in collaborating with American companies to extract rare earth metals. He stressed that Russia has significantly more of these resources than Ukraine.
Reuters noted that Russia possesses some of the world's largest rare earth metal reserves, ranking fifth according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The largest reserves are in China, Brazil, India, and Australia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is negotiating with the USA regarding an agreement to extract mineral resources in its territory. Kyiv has expressed readiness to sign the deal, but Washington has not yet confirmed its conclusion.
Dmitriev, 49, is one of Putin's closest collaborators and is considered a potential successor to the president by analysts. He completed his studies in the United States, earning a degree in economics from Stanford University. He then continued his education at the prestigious Harvard Business School.
Born in Kyiv, Dmitriev, now associated with the Kremlin, has collaborated with American and French companies throughout his financial career.
