Bangladesh, Feb. 23 -- Ukraine is facing mounting pressure from the United States to sign over access to its vast reserves of rare earth minerals, with President Donald Trump warning that failure to strike a deal could lead to “a lot of problems” for Kiev. The negotiations, which have sparked accusations of economic coercion and neo-colonialism, highlight the geopolitical significance of Ukraines natural resources amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.

The controversy began last October when Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky first proposed the idea of granting Washington access to his countrys rare earth minerals as part of broader economic and security cooperation. Earlier this month, Trump reiterated his administrations...