Kazakhstan and the United States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on critical minerals, representing a key strategic move by the US to diversify its supply of rare earths and critical materials away from China.
The Critical Minerals MOU was officially signed on Thursday in Washington, D.C., formalizing a strategic Partnership between the United States and Kazakhstan. The document was signed by Yersayin Nagaspayev, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction, and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
President Tokayev emphasized the "excellent opportunities" the Agreement presents to further bolster the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the US through enhanced economic cooperation. This agreement comes as the US aggressively pursues strategies to secure resilient supply chains for minerals essential to modern technology, Renewable Energy, and defense.
Kazakhstan, while still largely underexplored, is emerging as an enticing opportunity for the West. The Central Asian nation’s Ministry of Industry and Construction previously indicated that the country holds "promising reserves" of rare earth minerals. If geological forecasts are confirmed, Kazakhstan could potentially rise to become one of the world's top 10 producers.
A major piece of evidence supporting this claim is the discovery of the large Kuyrektykol deposit, which is estimated to contain a massive 800,000 tonnes of rare earth metals. If these reserves are confirmed, the Kuyrektykol deposit alone would position Kazakhstan second only to China and Brazil in terms of reserve size.
Currently, official data indicates Kazakhstan possesses over 980 deposits of solid minerals. Over the last five years, the nation has attracted approximately $1 billion in private Investment into its Mining Sector, making it a key hunting ground for international miners.
Beyond rare earths, the US is also actively working to secure access to Kazakhstan’s substantial Tungsten reserves. Tungsten is another critical mineral, and China currently accounts for about 80% of its global concentrate production.
Last month, it was reported that the Trump administration has been facilitating negotiations for a US company to access two of Kazakhstan’s largest tungsten deposits, which are valued at billions of dollars. Commerce Secretary Lutnick has reportedly been involved in talks between Cove Kaz Capital Group and Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund regarding a bid to develop these deposits. A key detail is the simultaneous competition for these projects from a Chinese state-owned firm.
Despite the US Geological Survey (USGS) not placing Kazakhstan at the very top for recoverable tungsten deposits, the country is still estimated to hold over 2 million tonnes of the mineral in reserve.
Cove Kaz Capital Group has already deepened its ties in the region, having formed a joint venture with JSC Qazgeology, Kazakhstan’s national geological exploration company, for a rare earth project in the Kostanay region earlier this year.
