Lithuania may pursue a bilateral agreement with the United States on critical minerals if the European Union fails to move swiftly on a joint partnership, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Kestutis Budrys emphasized that while Vilnius prefers a coordinated European approach, time is becoming a decisive factor. “We have the intention to go forward at the European level,” he said, adding that if consensus within the EU proves too slow, “the way forward is bilaterally.”
The EU has been working on a critical minerals partnership with the United States and other like-minded countries to reduce dependence on China, which dominates global supply chains for many rare earth elements and strategic materials essential for advanced technologies. Member states have granted the European Commission a mandate to negotiate on behalf of the bloc. However, some capitals, including Vilnius, have voiced concerns over the pace of negotiations.
At the same time, the administration of Donald Trump has encouraged individual EU member states to consider direct bilateral agreements.
The urgency of securing alternative supply chains has intensified amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. China’s export restrictions on rare earths last year heightened concerns among Western governments about supply-chain vulnerabilities and the risk of political leverage through mineral exports.
Last week, the United States and 55 other countries agreed to introduce new policy tools, including price floors, aimed at stabilizing supply chains and countering market distortions.
For Lithuania, the issue carries particular strategic weight. The country’s engineering sector and rapidly expanding defense industry rely on stable access to critical minerals. According to Budrys, Vilnius seeks to diversify imports and reduce exposure to what it considers unreliable suppliers, particularly China, which Lithuania accuses of using trade as a political instrument.
As geopolitical competition over strategic resources deepens, Lithuania’s position highlights growing pressure within the EU to balance collective action with national urgency in securing critical mineral supply chains.
