Shevchenko in Donetsk, south-eastern Ukraine, may at first glance seem like another rural town destined to fall into Russian hands.

But below the surface lies something Ukraine will fight tooth and nail for: lithium deposits holding billions of dollars worth of critical minerals essential for electric vehicles, smartphones and modern energy systems.

Russian troops are just 10 miles away, having recently captured the town of Velyka Novosilka.

But it is not just Vladimir Putin eyeing up these vast reserves. In Washington, Donald Trump has asked for “rare earths” in exchange for military aid.

Caught in the middle is Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, who said on Saturday: “We have mineral resources. This does not mean that we give them away to anyone, even to strategic partners.”

Ukraine’s critical minerals and rare earths could be the key to securing the country’s future.

The country is sitting on more than 20 rare earth elements, including cerium and lanthanum, both vital for a host of modern technologies from flat-screen televisions to low-energy light bulbs.

The country also possesses vast reserves of critical minerals and metals. Titanium, crucial for aerospace and defence industries, and lithium, the backbone of electric vehicle and smartphone batteries, are among Ukraine’s untapped riches.

Mr Trump appears to be eyeing up both. “They’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things,” he said.

“I want to have the security of rare earths. We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths. And I want security of the rare earths, and they’re willing to do it,” the US president declared.