US signs 11 critical mineral frameworks, MOUs to strengthen supply chain

The US signed 11 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks and memorandums of understanding after delegations from around the world convened at the State Department's Critical Minerals Ministerial on Feb. 4, the State Department said.

The US has memoranda of understanding or framework agreements with Argentina, the Cook Islands, Ecuador, Guinea, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the UAE and Uzbekistan, according to a fact sheet from the US Department of State. This follows 10 additional agreements the US signed with other countries in the past five months. The US has completed negotiations on agreements with 17 other countries.

The Trump administration on Feb. 4 proposed a critical minerals trade bloc and a preferential trading zone to restore the global critical minerals market to greater competitiveness. It comes amid federal policy actions by the US and its allies to boost critical minerals production in response to China's control of the global market. US President Donald Trump ordered the creation of "Project Vault" on Feb. 2, a critical minerals reserve intended to maintain a supply of key metals needed by private companies.

The UK also signed an MOU on Feb. 5 with the US to accelerate mining and processing capacity for critical materials.

"These frameworks lay the groundwork for nations to collaborate on pricing challenges, spur development, create fair markets, close gaps in priority supply chains, and expand access to financing," the State Department said.

The ministerial included representatives from 54 countries and the European Commission with delegations from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Ukraine and the UK, among others.

During the ministerial, the US launched the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, or FORGE, which aims to address challenges in the global critical minerals marketplace. It will be chaired by South Korea through June. FORGE partners will collaborate at the policy and project levels to advance initiatives, according to the State Department.

These efforts complement the US-led Pax Silica initiative, aimed at building secure silicon supply chains, as well as critical minerals, to advance manufacturing, semiconductors and AI infrastructure, the State Department said.

The US outlined its support for critical minerals supply chains over the last year, including more than $30 billion in letters of interest, investments, loans, and other support in partnership with the private sector, $14.8 billion in letters of interest for critical minerals projects from the Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Department of Energy funding and partnership opportunities.

US announces critical mineral action plans

The US Trade Representative also announced critical minerals action plans with Mexico, Japan and the EU after convening with delegations at the Critical Minerals Ministerial.

The US-Mexico plan aims to develop trade policies that mitigate critical mineral supply chain vulnerabilities, such as identifying specific critical minerals of interest, exploring border-adjusted price floors for critical minerals imports.

"As we approach the USMCA Joint Review, this Action Plan is an important step to strengthen bilateral cooperation and increase supply chain resilience with like-minded partners," Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, said in a statement.

The US-European Commission-Japan plan is similar, seeking to develop coordinated trade policies, like border-adjusted price floors, standards-based markets, price gap subsidies or offtake agreements to address supply chain vulnerabilities.

It includes an MOU between the US and the EU that will identify areas of cooperation to support projects in mining, refining, processing and recycling. It will also promote research and innovation, as well as share information on stockpiling.

The US and Japan signed a similar framework in October 2025.