Ukraine on Thursday awarded a bid to mine a major state-owned lithium deposit to investors that include a billionaire friend of President Trump, as his administration has indicated it is looking for investment opportunities in the war-torn country. The decision was made by a Ukrainian government commission, according to two commission members who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the vote. While it still requires formal approval from Ukraine's cabinet of ministers, the officials said the deal was essentially sealed.