US companies have shown interest in rare earth projects in Russia: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said that talks with American firms had already begun

The Kremlin said on Monday that some Americans companies had shown interest in joint rare earth metals projects in Russia, but cautioned that such discussions were still at an early stage. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, told the Izvestia newspaper in comments published on Monday that talks with American firms had already begun. 

Putin suggested in February that the US might be interested in joint exploration for rare earth metals deposits in Russia, which has the world's fifth-largest reserves of the metals used in lasers and military hardware.