On February 26, The Saratoga Foundation and the Heritage Foundation co-organized an online event examining recent developments in rare earth and critical minerals featuring experts from Ukraine and Serbia. In the past month this issue has become a subject of major global interest and a major element of US national security strategy with the new administration of Donald J. Trump.
Earlier this week Ukraine agreed to sign a landmark agreement with the United States on rare earth and critical minerals that will create a new dimension in US national security interests in Eurasia. Prior to the recent announcement the Heritage Foundation and The Saratoga Foundation sat down with a group of regional experts to discuss the current state of play in strategic minerals and what this means for US interests in Ukraine and Serbia. The event was hosted by the Heritage Foundation and moderated by Glen Howard, President and Chairman, The Saratoga Foundation.
Click here: Map of Ukraine Rare Earth & Strategic Minerals
Speakers:
Olena Lesnyak
Olena Lesnyak is the Deputy CEO at Velta LLC a worldwide leader in titanium extraction based in Dnepro, Ukraine. In 2024 Velta Holding, a subsidiary of Velta LLC< secured a $60 million agreement in the United States to build a titanium extraction facility in North Carolina. Ms. Lesnyak has 13 years experience working in the critical minerals sector and is an expert in the sphere of titanium and strategically critical raw materials. As Deputy CEO at Velta, she is responsible for strategic development, sales, marketing.
Yulia Klymenko
Yulia Klymenko is a Ukrainian politician who is a member of the Verhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament). Ms. Klymenko serves as the Vice chair of Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and is deputy head of the Holos party faction, and is secretary of the Ukrainian-Indian friendship group and Co-chair of the parliamentary maritime group. Ms. Klymenko previously served as Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade (2015-2016) where she was responsible for the small and medium business development, economic deregulation, implementation of the public administration reform in the Ministry, subordinated agencies and state owned enterprises reform.
Yulia Klymenko is the author or co-author of over 220 draft bills in the economic and national security sectors, over 50 of which were successfully voted by the Parliament. Her main focus is on national security, economic and infrastructure development particularly in the maritime sector. Prior to politics Yulia was a Vice-President of the Kyiv School of Economics responsible for the business education.
Volodymyr Landa
Mr. Landa is a Senior Economist at the Centre for Economic Strategy based in Kyiv, Ukraine. From 2020-2023, Mr. Landa served as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Forbes Ukraine. Previously – Consultant at the World Bank, Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Scientific Editor at VoxCheck, Consultant on various governmental, public, and commercial projects. Over 6 years of experience in the stock market, with 4 of those years serving as the head of the analytical department in an investment bank.
Vuk Velebit
Vuk Velebit is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the Pupin Initiative, a leading organization dedicated to strengthening US-Serbia relations through collaborative efforts and policy initiatives. The Pupin Initiative is a non-partisan, privately funded organization committed to efficiency and impact, free from bureaucratic constraints.
The initiative was founded on the same values championed by renowned Serbian-American scientist and inventor Michael Pupin over a century ago. It brings together young entrepreneurs, cross-disciplinary experts, and value-driven leaders from both the United States and Serbia. Through a bottom-up approach, the initiative fosters impactful networks and provides an authentic understanding of local contexts.
Previously, Vuk was an Eric Schmidt Fellow under the former CEO of Google, gaining extensive experience in promoting Serbian startups in the US market. Recognized as one of Serbia’s leading political analysts of the new generation, he is known for his insightful assessments of foreign policy, security issues, and media dynamics in Serbia.
Beyond analysis, Vuk has provided strategic counsel to numerous international organizations, non-profits, and investors with interests in the Western Balkans. His MA thesis, which explored the creation of pro-Russian narratives in Serbian media, received widespread acclaim both domestically and internationally.
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