NEW YORK, February 20. /TASS/. Western countries understand that they will be at an “extreme disadvantage” if they do not equip themselves with important elements and continue to depend on China. This was stated by Permanent Representative of the United States to the European Union (EU) Andrew Puzder in an interview with Bloomberg.
He said US and EU officials reached this conclusion after making significant progress discussing the rare earth partnership during a meeting in Washington last week.
“All countries attending the meeting acknowledged that the West would be at a serious disadvantage without access to the processing and exploitation of these important minerals,” he said.
The diplomat added that Europe's dependence on China in this sector threatens all supply chains. He called on allies to come up with agreements to resolve the situation and expressed confidence that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US trade negotiator Jamison Greer will be able to overcome the situation in a short time. Puzder noted that the key minerals deal being worked out between the US and the EU is also important for the development of artificial intelligence.
In November 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new initiative to reduce the EU's dependence on supplies of vital raw materials from China. According to her, Brussels will compensate for this supply shortage by strengthening contacts with Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Chile.
