Moscow and Washington have started talks on joint rare earth metals and other projects in Russia, Russia’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation told the Izvestia media outlet in remarks published on Monday.
“Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and, of course, we have begun discussions on various rare earth metals and (other) projects in Russia,” Kirill Dmitriev, who is also the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, told Izvestia.
Putin, following negotiations between the US and Ukraine over a draft minerals deal, has offered the US, under a future economic deal, to jointly explore Russia’s rare earth metal deposits.
Dmitriev, who was part of Russia’s negotiating team at talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia in February, said some companies have already shown interest in the projects. He did not name any companies and did not reveal further details.
Izvestia reported the cooperation may be further discussed at the next round of Russia-US talks that may take place in mid-April in Saudi Arabia.
Rare earths and other critical metals, essential for high-tech industries, have gained global attention in recent months as US President Donald Trump spurred efforts to counter China’s dominance in the sector.
Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, RIA agency reports
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Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, RIA agency reports
Austria snowstorm brings road and power chaos, four deaths
- One man, aged 53, was crushed to death when a snow plow fell down
- Vienna airport said it was forced to temporarily halt all flights in the morning
VIENNA: A major snowstorm hit Austria on Friday leaving four people dead and causing power outages and transport chaos, officials said.
One man, aged 53, was crushed to death when a snow plow fell down some steps in a “residential complex” in the northern city of Linz, police said.
Three skiers were killed in avalanches in the Tyrol region, including a German whose 16-year-old son was seriously injured in the landslide at Nauders. Two of the people died in an avalanche near the St. Anton ski resort, officials said.
Tyrol authorities appealed for skiers to stay away from off-piste activities. The latest deaths took to 18 the number of dead in avalanches in Austria this winter season.
Up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) of snow fell on the Alpine nation since Thursday, prompting alerts for southeast Austria, notably in the region around the city of Graz.
Vienna airport said it was forced to temporarily halt all flights in the morning, and afternoon services were “disrupted.”
One of the main orbital highways around Vienna was closed for several hours, and other sections of highway were blocked by snowdrifts, stranded lorries or poor visibility, said the national automobile association, OAMTC.
Electric companies reported power outages in several regions in the south and east, including Styria, where 30,000 homes lost electricity.
In neighboring Slovenia, 40,000 households were affected, according to local media, which reported major disruptions in the country’s northeast.
