Washington, Feb 5 (UNI) The United States and its partners announced a sweeping set of actions to advance secure critical mineral supply chains as Washington signed 11 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with countries including Argentina, the Cook Islands, Ecuador, Guinea, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
The United States, together with partners and allies from around the world, took a decisive step to reshape the global market for critical minerals and rare earths, strengthening supply chains that underpin the world’s most advanced technologies and future economic growth.
These agreements build on 10 frameworks signed in the past five months and 17 additional agreements already concluded in negotiations, demonstrating unprecedented leadership in critical minerals diplomacy.
The frameworks establish foundations for cooperation on pricing challenges, project development, fair and transparent markets, supply chain gaps, and expanded access to financing.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer, hosted the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial, convening representatives from 54 countries and the European Commission, including 43 foreign and other ministers. The ministerial marked one of the most significant multilateral gatherings ever focused on critical minerals diplomacy.
Delegations from countries across every major region, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and many others, joined the United States to advance a shared vision for a secure, diversified, and resilient global minerals market.
Critical minerals and rare earths are essential to advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, robotics, batteries, clean energy, and autonomous systems. As these technologies transform global economies, demand for reliable access to critical materials will continue to grow rapidly.
Today, global supply chains for these materials remain highly concentrated, leaving them vulnerable to political coercion and disruption. At the Ministerial, the United States and its partners committed to changing that reality,by building new sources of supply, strengthening transport and logistics networks, and creating an end-to-end market that is secure, transparent, and resilient.
Secretary Rubio announced the creation of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), the successor to the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). Chaired by the Republic of Korea through June, FORGE will lead with bold, action-oriented collaboration at both the policy and project levels to strengthen diversified and secure critical mineral supply chains worldwide.
Recognising that governments alone cannot meet global demand, the United States is working closely with the private sector through initiatives such as Pax Silica, which promotes investment across mining, refining, processing, end-use applications, and recycling.
On February 3, ahead of the Ministerial, US officials convened global industry leaders to discuss supply chain challenges and investment opportunities. Deputy Secretary Landau witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Glencore and the US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium, supporting potential asset acquisitions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The agreement advances the US-DRC Strategic Partnership by encouraging U.S. investment and ensuring secure, mutually beneficial flows of copper and cobalt.
Senior US officials also convened a task force of mining leaders to accelerate priority projects under new partnerships with allies.
UNI AAB