Kremlin: 'Possible broad interaction with US on rare earths'

There are "vast" possibilities for cooperation between Washington and Moscow in the extraction of rare earths, because the US needs them and Russia has enough, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by the Interfax agency.

Peskov, however, made it clear that any economic agreements with the US will be possible only after an agreement is reached to end the Ukrainian conflict. "The next thing on the agenda," the spokesman said, "is the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. And then, especially since the Americans themselves have spoken about this, the time will come to consider possible projects for trade, economic and investment cooperation. There are very broad prospects for this."

Peskov then praised the "much more balanced position" taken by the United States at the UN, "which really helps efforts to resolve the conflict around Ukraine" and added that "perhaps, based on the results of contacts between Europeans and Americans" Europe too "will somehow gravitate towards greater balance".