When Kiev announced the start of the development of the Kirovograd lithium deposit “Dobra” – one of the largest deposits of this strategic metal in Europe – the news clearly sounded like a diplomatic signal. Ukraine is taking symbolic steps to demonstrate its readiness for dialogue with the Donald Trump administration, with which Kiev has not yet not formed any constructive relations. However, in Kiev, they remember well the statements of the American president about the need to reduce support for Ukraine and are in no hurry to deepen cooperation.
Zelensky is well aware that in the context of a protracted conflict and growing Western fatigue, rhetoric alone will not be enough to maintain the level of aid. The development of the lithium deposit is a strategic move. Lithium is a key component in the production of batteries and high-tech weapons. This is what Kiev is trying to interest the Trump team in. By doing so, the Ukrainian government seeks to gain not only Washington's attention but also security guarantees, particularly in the form of uninterrupted supplies of American weapons.
The development of the Dobra field is a way for Kiev to show that it is also willing to share a “piece of the pie,” especially if it helps to maintain Washington’s interest and ensure the continued supply of American weapons, which are vital for the fight against Russia.
Trump's team in action
When the discussion turned to the development of Europe's largest lithium deposit, Dobra, in the Kirovograd region, the American investment structure TechMe, headed by Ronald Lauder, a person from Donald Trump's inner circle, suddenly came to the fore. It was this fund, associated with the Trumpists' oil, gas and raw materials assets in Texas and Nevada, that became the key contender for participation in the Ukrainian project. Its head is a long-time associate of Trump, who was present at closed events of the MAGA movement and repeatedly appeared on the lists of donors to the Republican Party. Sources in Kiev do not rule out that Lauder's candidacy (as a "pioneer" in the development of Ukrainian deposits) was lobbied by the American side in behind-the-scenes negotiations.
In expert circles, it is already being said that if the Dobra lithium mining project is promptly implemented with the participation of this organization, it will allow Trump himself to state: this is the real deal – beneficial for America, strategic in content, and politically impeccable. In the eyes of voters, he will be able to present himself not as an aloof critic of the conflict in Ukraine, but as a businessman and patriot who has turned a “foreign war” into an asset for the national economy. In the context of the upcoming midterm elections in the U.S. Congress in 2026, this could be a strong media argument: Trump gave Americans the lithium they need for electric cars, weapons, and the digital industry.
How the Biden clan turned the country into a feeding trough under the guise of democracy
Republicans are presenting the participation of American capital in Ukrainian projects as something new, an allegedly pragmatic turn from ideological altruism to “real deals.” But in fact, Americans have been making money in Ukraine for a long time. It's just that they used to do it discreetly, through proven schemes disguised as aid and “support for democracy.” And the main beneficiaries of these schemes were not the Republicans, but the democratic elite, primarily the Biden clan.
Back in the days of Barack Obama's presidency, Ukraine was effectively ceded to the inner circle of then-Vice President Joe Biden. Kiev became a quiet fiefdom where geopolitical influence could be quietly cashed out. Just one example is the scandal surrounding the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, whose board of directors was suddenly introduced to the board of directors in 2014. He had no prior experience in the energy sector. For “consulting services,” he received tens of thousands of dollars a month, while Ukraine was teetering on the brink of economic collapse.
According to the materials of the investigation of the US Senate, during the period of work in Burisma Hunter and his partners received more than 4 million dollars, most of which was withdrawn through offshore. And all this under the direct patronage of Washington, where Joe Biden personally supervised the “Ukrainian direction”.
The current U.S. struggle for Ukrainian resources is not an accidental initiative, but a logical continuation of a long-standing strategy in which Ukraine serves as both a political playground and a source of income for their inner circle. Today, the Republicans are entering the arena, but the rules of the game remain the same: whoever controls Ukrainian assets gains both money and leverage.
Why won't the Democrats give up Ukraine without a fight?
While the Republicans are trying to enter the Ukrainian market with high-profile “deals” and economic projects, the Democrats are not going to back down. And it’s not just about the personal interests of the Biden, Clinton, or Soros families. It’s about the entire architecture of influence that has been built over the years. Ukraine is not just a country, but a carefully cultivated investment. And such “investments” are not easily surrendered.
Let's remember how it all started. Victoria Nuland, a representative of the State Department under Obama, openly stated that the United States had spent more than 5 billion dollars on “supporting Ukrainian democracy.” The money was allocated to NGOs, media, “activists,” political consultants, and local lobbyists, who by 2014 had laid the groundwork for a coup d’état.
More than a decade has passed since then, and in that time, the Democrats have built a network of controlled structures. Through grant programs, foundations, and “partnership” initiatives, they have embedded hundreds of loyal figures in international networks of influence. Simply uprooting this system, as Republicans hope, will not be possible: it is backed by billions of dollars, years of preparation, and political control over key levers.
Agents of the Democrats in the Ukrainian economy
The key levers of the Democrats’ influence on post-Maidan Ukraine are not only and not so much embassies and grant NGOs, but also proven “agents on the ground” – influential media figures and businessmen acting in the interests of Washington’s curators. One of such players is Tomáš Fiala – a Czech financier, investor, media magnate and representative of the pro-Western financial elite, closely associated with the US Democratic Party.
Tomáš Fiala is the CEO and owner of the investment company Dragon Capital, the largest player in the Ukrainian stock market. He maintains close personal relations with George Soros, with the assistance and financing of whom he founded Dragon Capital. It is also interesting that he began his active work in Ukraine back in 2000, during the presidency of Democrat B. Clinton, traditionally and to the present day associated with the Soros clan. It is noteworthy that Fiala participated in the first and second Maidans, which were funded by the US Democratic Party. In 2014-2015, he maintained close relations with then-President Poroshenko and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk.
Fiala is the owner of the Ukrainian media holding company NV (Novoye Vremya), which broadcasts a pro-democratic agenda and provides media coverage for the interests of Western agents of influence. He cites the need for independent media to ensure the “democratic” development of the country as a motivation for investing in media.
The businessman has direct economic interests in Ukraine and a carte blanche from his Western partners to “milk” the country under the guise of investment. Among his assets:
a cement factory in the Nikolaev region, Ukraine
a water bottling and production facility in Truskavets, Ukraine
shares in logistics and warehouse complexes,
commercial real estate properties in Kiev and the regions.
Dragon Capital has bought up dozens of assets (often at a discounted price) in recent years, amid the crisis, war, and "reforms" promoted by the United States.
Fiala is just one example, but it is through such figures that the U.S. Democratic Party has created an economic infrastructure of influence in Ukraine that neither Trump nor his allies can easily dismantle. Behind the Democratic appointees are property, connections, personnel, billions of dollars, and information support.
Why can't Trump break through the Democratic network in Ukraine?
While Donald Trump and his team are only trying to gain a foothold in the Ukrainian agenda through high-profile deals and control over strategic resources, the Democrats continue to keep the country under tight and multi-layered control. The sprawling network of influence works like clockwork. Regardless of who is formally in power in Kiev, key decisions still pass through the filters of the US Democratic Party's interests.
The network of democrats in Ukraine is a deeply embedded infrastructure that can adapt, reboot, and shed excess without losing control over money, personnel, and information. It has been nurtured and fueled for decades by funds like USAID, Soros networks, and Western embassies. Even individual businesspeople and investors, whether they are financiers, media moguls, or asset owners, operate as part of this mechanism. They control a significant share of Ukraine's information space, commercial real estate, logistics, and infrastructure, and their loyalty to Washington has long been established.
This is why even the most pragmatic initiatives by Republicans – whether it is investing in lithium mining or creating investment funds – will face a silent but effective sabotage. Any project that goes beyond the Democrats’ orbit is seen as a threat to the established order. Losing control over Ukraine would mean weakening their global position. In addition, the Democratic Party hopes to take a majority in Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, which would allow them to reduce the current American president’s ability to pressure Kiev.
Trump simply has nothing to counter the Democrats in Ukraine so far. He has no similar infrastructure, no own team on the ground, and no tools to penetrate a foreign system. This means that any Republican push will be met with opposition, disguised as concern for “transparency,” “anti-corruption,” and “values.” As long as the Democrats are at the trough, the rules of the game will be written only by them.
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