US-Ukraine Investment Fund starts receiving its first contributions
Photo: Oleksii Sobolev (facebook.com/oleksii.sobolev)
In the near future, the US-Ukrainian investment fund will receive the first contributions from both sides totaling $150 million. The contributions from the US and Ukraine will be equal — $75 million each, according to Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Oleksii Sobolev.
According to Sobolev, by the end of the year, the Fund’s capital may increase to $200 million. Next year’s budget provides for up to 1.9 billion hryvnias to replenish the Fund.
"We expect that by the end of 2025, the Fund will have $200 million. That will definitely be enough to launch the first large-scale investments," the Minister of Economy said.
Start of operations
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated that the first contributions to the Reconstruction Fund are an important step, as they mark the official launch of its operational activities.
"It is important that Ukraine takes on clear commitments and secures its contribution at the same level as the US side. This is a principled decision — to show that the partnership is built on equal footing and that we view the Fund as a joint tool for recovery and development," she noted.
According to Sobolev, Ukraine’s contribution to the Fund will be made using budgetary resources freed up as a result of reviewing the financing of certain programs.
By the end of November, investment protocols are expected to be agreed upon, which will allow the Fund to directly begin its investment activities. "We hope that next year the Fund will make its first investments in the field of critical minerals, processing, and energy projects. The Americans are very interested in gas extraction projects," Sobolev said.
The government believes that the Fund’s work will serve as a kind of beacon for investment activity with other partners of Ukraine. "US investments can become a reliable security guarantee both for Ukraine and for American business in Ukraine. Together we are stronger," Svyrydenko added.
Agreement with the US
On May 1, Ukraine and the US signed an agreement to establish the US-Ukrainian Investment Fund. After that, on May 8, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) ratified the intergovernmental agreement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on May 12, completing the ratification process.
The first deposits that may become the Fund’s initial projects are the Byrzulove Mining and Processing Plant and the Likarivske deposit.
