#Reuters: "US, Ukraine may wait decade or more to see revenue from minerals deal"

The financial payoff from a new minerals deal between Ukraine and the U.S. is likely to take a decade or longer as investors face many hurdles to getting new mines into production in the war-ravaged country.
Developing mines that produce strategically important minerals in countries with established mining sectors such as Canada and Australia can take 10 to 20 years, mining consultants said on Thursday.

But most mineral deposits in Ukraine have scant data to confirm they are economically viable. Investors may also balk at funneling money into a country where infrastructure such as power and transport has been devastated by Russia's 3-year-old, full-scale invasion, and future security is not guaranteed.

"If anyone's thinking suddenly all these minerals are going to be flying out of Ukraine, they're dreaming," said Adam Webb, head of minerals at consultancy Benchmark Minerals Intelligence.

"The reality is, it's going to be difficult for people to justify investing money there when there are options to invest in critical minerals in countries that are not at war."