The delegation of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which arrived in Kyiv this week, is heading to regions together with Ukrainian representatives to form a project portfolio for the first investments of the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Minister Oleksiy Sobolev reported.
“DFC site visits are currently underway, and tomorrow we will head to the regions with them to identify an investment portfolio,” he said at the annual YES conference “How to End the War,” held in Kyiv on September 12–13 by the Pinchuk Foundation.
Sobolev added that a new development in this critically important sector of strategic minerals is the interest shown by global mining companies that previously purchased Ukrainian raw materials and are now considering further exploration and investment in the country.
“As people who have worked in this industry for 20 years tell me, this is the first time. So, I think people are preparing, we are preparing the tools, and the interest is genuinely high,” the minister said.
He noted that this is driven by the desire to reduce reliance on Chinese supplies and make supply chains more secure.
Sobolev added that the U.S.-Ukraine Investment Fund will invest not only in critical minerals but also in energy, oil and gas projects, and related infrastructure.
He also reminded participants of the Ukraine-EU fund announced in July at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Rome, aimed at stimulating investment in Ukrainian manufacturing and supported by over EUR 200 million in first-class guarantees, which could attract EUR 0.5–1 billion in investment.
The minister emphasized that Ukraine is very interested in such projects, as current direct foreign investment is likely only about $3 billion per year, a negligible amount compared to the losses inflicted by Russia.
As reported, on September 3, the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund held its first Governing Council meeting and began operational activity. According to Sobolev, the fund’s next steps include hiring a fund manager and investment advisor and starting systematic preparation of the project portfolio.
“Our goal as the Ukrainian government is to implement three high-quality investment projects over the next 18 months,” the minister concluded.
