On September 14, the Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev, together with a delegation from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, visited Kirovohrad region.

During the trip, the delegation visited the Byrzulivskyi mining and processing plant and the Likarivske deposit to assess their investment potential and possibilities for inclusion in the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (URIF) project portfolio. Ukraine is one of the key suppliers of titanium raw materials in the world: a significant portion of ilmenite is exported to the United States and Mexico. Due to its properties, titanium is a critically important resource for aerospace and high-tech industries.

The Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev emphasized that investments in the development of the raw material base should combine economic impact with responsible approach towards the environment and strengthen the capacity of communities.

"In just six months, we transformed the idea on paper of strategic cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. into a working Reconstruction Investment Fund. We are already starting to build a pipeline of the first investment projects. For the United States, their implementation in Ukraine means de-risking global supply chains for many production sectors. For us, it also provides additional security guarantees, specifically by attracting American investments into extraction, processing, and related infrastructure.," said the Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev.

During the meetings in the Kirovohrad region, Oleksii Sobolev also met with representatives of the Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration. They discussed issues of regional coordination, compliance with environmental standards in the field of subsoil use, water resource management, forest conservation, and nature reserve fund.

As a reminder, the Reconstruction Investment Fund was officially launched on May 23, 2025, as a joint initiative of the governments of Ukraine and the United States. Its goal is to attract private investment in strategically important sectors of the economy.