The Ekonomicheskaya Pravda newspaper specifies that it is about the Dobra lithium deposit, which is one of the largest in Ukraine. It explains that lithium is a key component in the production of electric batteries.
The article, citing the New York Times, notes that the winning consortium is closely linked to the administration of US President Donald Trump. It includes Ronald Lauder, a close friend of Trump, who is the heir to the cosmetics company Estée Lauder. The two have known each other since their college days with the US president. In addition, Lauder was a sponsor of the Republican Party.
The largest shareholder of TechMet is the American agency DFC.
The terms of the tender stipulated a minimum investment of $179 million, but a member of the committee that voted on Thursday, January 8, said that the consortium’s offer was much higher.
