"The United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector that are aligned with the Trump Administration's America First Agenda," a State Department spokesperson said,

The United States is open to exploring critical minerals partnerships with Congo, the State Department said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday, after a Congolese senator contacted U.S. officials to pitch a minerals-for-security deal.

A State Department spokesperson said the Democratic Republic of Congo holds a significant share of the world's critical minerals.

The United States is considering a critical minerals partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a State Department statement. This follows outreach from a Congolese senator proposing