The United States is holding “exploratory talks” with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over a deal that would give it access to the African nation’s critical minerals in exchange for military support, the Financial Times reported late on Friday.

Recognising that the White House of President Donald Trump is interested in transactional relationships - and seeing the proposed Ukraine-US mineral deal - the resource-rich DR Congo is hoping to strike its own agreement with Washington.

As US President Donald Trump pushes for the United States to become a global leader in the production and processing of non-fuel minerals, the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has proposed a deal with the US aimed at reducing its over-reliance on China,

The United States is in preliminary discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) regarding a potential minerals-for-security agreement. ・Preliminary discussions between the U.S. and DRC involve a potential minerals-for-security agreement ・The deal would grant U.