Ryan Chilcote

Never forget. Sept. 11, 2001, was a pivotal moment in my life. I walked into the CNN Moscow bureau at almost precisely this moment where this video begins. It was just before 5p.m., eight time zones east of NYC, but the TV was on and of course it was tuned to CNN. I'd just flown in from Minsk, Belarus where I'd covered my first presidential election the weekend before and I’d just done my first presidential interview. It had been a good week for me as a beginning CNN reporter. Then, like so many of us, I saw the pictures that would remain etched on my memory forever. My first thought – such is the professional instinct of a journalist – was: wow, a plane crashing into the World Trade Center? this is a big story. I sat down and settled in to watch. When the second plane hit, what was an inexplicable curious event sharpened into focus instantly. Two planes don’t accidentally crash into the twin towers. My colleagues on the air were measured. I don’t remember how long it took anyone to say terrorism, but it came quickly. The mystery – in an instant – had been solved. It was that kind of moment. I’m sure everyone watching probably did the same…turned to the person next to them and began talking about it, began processing, began sharing…humans tend to recognize profound shared tragedy. Or at least I’d like to think so. It was all business for me, though. Moments later, I was dialing CNN’s International Desk at Headquarters in Atlanta. Steve Cassidy was on the other end of the line. Steve oversaw what we called “troop movements” …the deployment of journalists around the world to cover breaking news. I knew he would be very busy. "Steve, how about I go to northern Afghanistan? The Northern Alliance is a way in. The U.S. is going to team up with them. That’s the ticket." Three days later we were in Afghanistan to report a story that would be a milestone of my early career. This week, I was reminded of the real story of 9/11…and it isn’t the story of how the attack breathed life into this reporter’s boyhood ambitions of traveling to faraway exotic lands in pursuit of professional adventure. Yesterday, I had lunch with a good friend and his niece in Manhattan. He mentioned, almost in passing, that he lost an older brother on 9/11 in the Twin Towers. He only spent a few seconds on it before the conversation moved on to other topics. Earlier, when we were talking about the 25th anniversary of 9/11 I made a comment about how it was a very impactful day for me and my career. He allowed my selfish indulgence even though for him, and tens of thousands of my fellow Americans, 9/11 meant only loss and sorrow. This week I will be remembering the beautiful, innocent people who suffered such senseless violence, their families who carry the burden of that loss and my beloved country, how it reeled and how we came together. So much to remember. youtube.com/watch?v=lEPX7rxg… #NeverForget911.

Great chatting with Future Minerals Forum Director of Strategy, Programme and Content Aldo Pennini about how FMF’s sharp focus on collaboration between government and industry makes it stand out among international conferences. “One of the challenges that has faced the industry is this disconnect between government and industry,” he said in an interview with FMF TV in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “That's causing challenges such as delays in permitting and policy regimes that are unpredictable. By helping both sides listen to each other better, we hope that we can make some progress on some of these big challenges.” “We’re in a time of great uncertainty, supply chains are tested, but a common factor is the need to address complexity collaboratively,” he said. “Minerals cross national boundaries, they need to cross oceans to get to markets, those supply chains need to be reliable, both for supplies and customers.” As Director of Strategy, Programme and Content at the Future Minerals Forum, Aldo Pennini shapes the direction of these collaborative discussions. With the FMF bringing together so many government and industry officials, the need for structured international communication is only growing. A big thanks to the Future Minerals Forum organizers and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for continuing to foster such important discussions. Watch my conversation with @AldoPennini: lnkd.in/eZHv7Uss #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

I had the pleasure of chatting with Sam Jamsheedi, President of the Australia–Saudi Business Council, about the Future Minerals Forum and Australia’s important role in the global mining conversation. During our talk, Sam Jamsheedi looked back on his involvement in the Forum over the last five years, outlining Australia's place in it all. “Every year, January is an exciting time for us,” he said at FMF 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Australia is a global leader in the mining industry, so we’ve been privileged enough to be leading some of the delegations here.” As President of the Australia Saudi Business Council, Jamsheedi’s role is to bridge the gap between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Australia, especially as these resource rich nations maintain their positions at the forefront of mineral exploration. My gratitude goes to the organizers of @FutureMineral and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for bringing together such influential voices across the industry. Watch my conversation with @sam_jaay, President of the Australia–Saudi Business Council: lnkd.in/eFWdnTCU #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating #australia #saudiarabia

It was a pleasure to discuss the growth and evolution of the Future Minerals Forum with Assheton Stewart Carter, Executive Chair and Founder of TDi Sustainability, a global consultancy with a focus on critical minerals supply chains. Marking his third year attending the forum, Assheton Stewart Carter reflected on how FMF has become an increasingly important gathering place for the global mining community, not only for networking, but for exchanging ideas and perspectives shaping the sector’s future. “It’s certainly becoming the center of gravity for all things minerals and metals, so it’d be a shame not to be here,” he told me at FMF 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Since its launch in 2022, the Future Minerals Forum has become the world’s leading minerals gathering, bringing together stakeholders across the mineral value chain to discuss the opportunities and challenges surrounding mining and minerals. Thank you to @FutureMineral and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for fostering such insightful conversations. Watch my chat with TDi Sustainability’s Assheton Stewart Carter: lnkd.in/eYWQnCQ9 #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating #networking

It was a privilege to speak with H.E. Artane Rizvanolli, Kosovo’s Minister of Economy, as she explained the country’s plans to to reignite its mining industry and play a greater role in the global critical minerals landscape. Kosovo has a long tradition in mining, but now the industry faces challenges, she said in an interview with me at the Future Minerals forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The government is focused on growing exploration of mineral reserves with a particular focus on critical minerals. “We look forward to a future in which we do mining more sustainably,” she said. “We will increase the added value of our products, and create better, more sustainable jobs and do this in a way that contributes to the local economic development.” Reflecting on Kosovo’s first visit to the Future Minerals Forum, she said, “What I find particularly valuable is this idea of bringing together the supply countries and making sure that we are learning from each other, but also working together to have a stronger voice in global markets.” Thank you to the Future Minerals Forum and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting such insightful conversations every year. Watch my talk with @Artane_R, Minister of Economy of Kosovo: youtube.com/watch?v=6KhHpYvb… #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

Zambia is delivering an unprecedented level of productivity in copper mining thanks to a new focus under the current government on dialogue and fresh solutions rather than the long legal battles of the past, H.E. Paul Kabuswe, the now-former Minister of Mines and Minerals Development of Zambia, told me at the 2026 Future Minerals Forum. While Mr. Kabuswe no longer holds this post, he is still a prominent figure in Zambia's mining industry and is running for re-election to his parliamentary seat. In the past, many mining companies in Zambia were “mining in court,” engaging in long legal battles. “And we said we can not continue fighting in court, we need to mine,” he said in an interview with FMF TV in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. New advancements in mapping technology are also driving greater efficiency in Zambia, the second-largest copper producer in Africa. “Zambia was never mapped for the past 50 years. There’s high demand for critical minerals, so let's map the country so that we accelerate investment into exploration.” My gratitude goes out to Paul Kabuswe, @FutureMineral and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for holding such insightful international discussions year after year. Watch my conversation with the Minister of Mines and Minerals Development of Zambia at the Future Minerals Forum, Paul Kabuswe: youtube.com/watch?v=vkqqmGkg… #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

I had a fascinating conversation with Patricia Bingoto, Senior Expert at McKinsey & Co.’s Global Energy and Materials Practice, about the inaugural Future Minerals Forum  Barometer Report, a first-of-its-kind tool designed to measure the progress and preparedness of critical mineral value chains across the Super Region. “We're talking about a fact base to support everything that is related to funding, talent, sustainability and policy, but also infrastructure, which is going to be one of the key trackers going forward,” she told me at FMF 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Future Minerals Forum’s Barometer Report was developed in collaboration with McKinsey & Company and global sector experts. In an increasingly metals-intensive era, the Barometer report is designed to act as a framework for understanding and advancing more resilient mineral supply chains. A big thank you again to the @FutureMineral organizers and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for continuing to facilitate such innovative discussions. Watch my conversation with McKinsey & Co. Senior Expert Patricia Bingoto-Maeder: lnkd.in/e3BBnWEs #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

I had the privilege of speaking with Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, as he walked me through Canada's role in future critical minerals supply at the 2026 Future Minerals Forum. “A lot of the companies and the private industry would tell you that Canada is the best jurisdiction in the world once a mine is operating,” he told me in an FMF TV interview in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “But they would also tell you that from a permitting perspective and to actually get a mine going, it was one of the complicated, ‘not in my backyard,’ kind of places.” “And one of the biggest changes is the current government is massively focused on shortening the amount of time. One permit, one review, doing approval within a two-year window as opposed to five, six, seven years as it would have taken in the past.” Canada, which produces more than 60 minerals including critical minerals, is focused on the energy transition, rare earths, and precious metals, he said. A big thank you @ClaudeGuay, @FutureMineral and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting such engaging conversations year after year. Watch my conversation with Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources here: youtube.com/watch?v=42fP0NQ8… #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

It was a pleasure to speak with H.E. Ali Pervaiz Malik, Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Petroleum, at the Future Minerals Forum 2026 about the country’s untapped potential as a major minerals producer. The minister explained on FMF TV in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that about 2,000 km of the highly prospective Tethyan Belt passes through Pakistan and includes numerous mines and projects including the Reko Diq, one of the world's largest undeveloped deposits of gold and copper. “In the last two years under the stewardship of Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif, Pakistan has been able to embed macroeconomic stability, which means that if foreign capital comes in there are no risks for repatriation of profits.” Malik said in our interview in January. “Today Pakistan’s achievements are being validated by all the multilateral agencies,” which allows for a rise in capital, partnerships, and growth in the critical mineral sector. It was the prospect of increasing their exposure to copper that has Barrick Gold, which owns 50% of the project in a JV, so interested in the project but since the interview with the Minister, Barrick has said its reviewing the project because of poor security in the region. Balochistan, the region in Pakistan which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has long been home to a separatist movement. The troubles there speak to some of the geopolitical challenges involved in bringing new copper on line, even as the world faces the prospect of long-term structural deficits of the red metal. That said, neither Barrick nor the government of Pakistan is giving up on the project. Thank you to the Minister of Petroleum of Pakistan, H.E. Ali Pervaiz Malik, the Future Minerals Forum, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for such an insightful conversation. Watch my discussion with the Minister of Petroleum of Pakistan, H.E. Ali Pervaiz Malik: youtu.be/okgPkceLhEg?si=pL0D… #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

Government reforms, new investment partnerships and rapidly improving technology are combining to improve the Democratic Republic of Congo’s position as one of the world’s biggest suppliers of copper and critical minerals to drive future economic growth, Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, told me at the Future Minerals Forum 2026. “The reforms are looking at improving governance in the mining sector, bringing in transparency and making the administration very efficient,” @LouisWKabamba said in an FMF TV interview in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “But also clamping down on illegal mining and all the things that have given a negative image to the DRC.” “We are moving away from purely extractive mining and looking into adding value locally,” he said. “Creating special economic zones with all kinds of facilities when it comes to fiscal, customs and administration: A one-stop shop where investors can come, bring in capital and technology and do business.” Copper demand is expected to soar, driven by modernization of infrastructure and technologies such as artificial intelligence. The DRC is very well positioned to meet the growing demand because it has a number of mega-deposits to explore in the years to come, the minister said. A big thank you to @FutureMineral and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for furthering these conversations year after year. Watch my talk with Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Louis Watum Kabamba: youtu.be/4rcGHqpzdxk?si=6w2p… #FMF2026 #FutureMineralsForum #criticalminerals #interview #moderating

It was an honor to interview the ever-insightful Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto, at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Dominic Barton’s four years at @RioTinto have led the mining giant from strength to strength, so it was a pleasure to have him speak so candidly about Rio’s focuses and future bets, shortly after the company’s announcement of first iron ore at Simandou in Guinea, Africa’s largest mining project. Barton stressed that Rio’s focus will remain on the “metals that are supporting the energy transition. We need a lot of steel, copper, aluminum and lithium.” On copper, critical to all things electrification, he predicted that “we’re going to see a 50% increase in demand by 2040, which in mining terms is right around the corner. We frankly need more copper.” It was fascinating to hear the strength of Barton’s belief in this growth prediction. “I think the mining industry is undervalued. I’m very excited long-term for the valuation of all mining companies,” he told me. “The good thing with critical minerals is that people are realizing that we need this material to be able to do things. Because of AI and the need for Data Centers and for power, we need a lot of metal.” It will therefore be no surprise to anyone that Rio has continued to diversify its growing portfolio accordingly. Since that interview in January, valuations for mining companies - as expressed by p/e ratios - have risen albeit only modestly. This conversation took place in the midst of the Rio-@Glencore merger talks so Barton chose his words carefully, while indicating M&A is necessary! However, Barton was quick to add that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for miners, including the world’s second largest after @bhp. He revealed that the single biggest bottleneck in mining right now is the many permitting challenges facing new projects. “The worry I have is the ability to build mines on time and on budget. When you take 18 years to build something, that destroys the economics of any project,” Barton said. That, he pointed out, is reflected in the NPVs of these projects. “There has to be innovation in how we do permitting. It has to be done in a more efficient manner.” But he’s sticking to his guns. Barton finished by telling me that “the range of what is a critical mineral is expanding, and if you read @DanielYergin stuff, we’re going to pretty well put all of them in there at some point, because of the supply/demand imbalance.” It looks like we’re going to continue to hear a lot more about metals going forward. As always, my gratitude to the organizers of @FutureMineral Forum and its host. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry Mineral Resources for bringing global leaders together year after year to talk about what’s really important. Watch the full interview here: youtube.com/watch?si=i1wMf3q…

When the lights go out on the road and for news readers at home 💔

Really great to be back at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, talking with the big movers and shakers across the global minerals value chain. It was also a pleasure to renew my acquaintance with. Maximo Pacheco, Chairman of the Board of Chile’s national copper corporation @CodelcoChile and a really insightful voice for all things mining. We discussed how even the largest copper miner in the world needs to learn how to navigate these unpredictable times. “I think today we are better at managing uncertainty, better at doing business under uncertainty, but the world will continue to be uncertain, continue to be volatile because of the transformation in which we are living,” Pacheco said in an FMF TV interview with me. “The world is under a lot of stress with transformation.” A big thanks to FMF and host Saudi Arabia for bringing together so many of the world’s most insightful and influential voices across the minerals industry.

It was a real honor and pleasure to sit down with Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, economic historian, preeminent energy expert, Vice Chairman of S&P Global, and friend for a chat about what’s behind the surging global demand for copper. Yes, that's right Yergin, best known chronicler of the oil and gas industry on the planet, has turned his attention to what many call the world's most strategic metal...yet again. Long gone are the days when copper was just used to keep the lights on and power machinery, @DanielYergin explained in an interview on FMF TV at the @FutureMineral Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electric vehicles, data centers, defense systems and, yes, even humanoid robots depend on larger and larger supplies of copper. “We see electricity demand in the next 15 years growing worldwide by 50 percent and, roughly, copper supplies will have to grow that much with the demands of electrification,” Yergin said in our interview. The interview came on the heels of the @SPGlobalEnergy & Market Intelligence’s report, Copper in the Age of AI:Challenges of Electrification. Read the report everyone was raving about in Riyadh, including Rio Tinto Chairman Dominic Barton just minutes before I sat down with Dan, here: spglobal.com/en/research-ins…

I interviewed the now-incarcerated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in 2017 in Moscow at Russia's flagship energy summit for the @pbsnewshour . The headline? ‘Trump has 'no right' to joke about military action in Venezuela.’ youtu.be/C07j2zwo8lY?si=UY3f…

Navalny. 2017. cbsnews.com/video/enemy-of-t…

Kudos to @amanpour & even more to @antonioguterres for providing an honest lay of the land.

Biden to Lay Out Restrictions on Chinese Tech Investment Go to Ryan's Earth for the latest, including my on-the-ground look at events from Shanghai: open.substack.com/pub/chilco…