---
title: "Joint US-Ukraine Fund Concludes First Rare Earths Deal with ATB Co-Owner's Company"
description: "The US-Ukraine Investment Fund has signed its first critical minerals deal with BGV Group, owned by ATB co-owner Hennadii Butkevych, as part of a $70 million project package."
date: 2026-10-03T10:20:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/us-ukraine-fund-rare-earths-atb
tags: [us-ukraine-fund, rare-earths, atb, bgv-group, economy, critical-minerals]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Joint US-Ukraine Fund Concludes First Rare Earths Deal with ATB Co-Owner's Company

![Mining of critical minerals and rare earth elements in Ukraine](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/03/ssha-ukraina-fond-redkozemely-atb/ssha-ukraina-fond-redkozemely-atb-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The US-Ukraine fund signed its first critical minerals agreement worth $30 million with Hennadii Butkevych's BGV Group.
- The fund has launched a total of four projects worth about $70 million covering rare earths and energy.
- The initiative is implemented under the April 2025 agreement initiated by Donald Trump's administration.
- Energy projects include creating backup power systems for 600,000 Ukrainian households in cooperation with DTEK.

The US-Ukraine Investment Recovery Fund has officially signed its first agreement in the critical minerals sector and launched a portfolio of four key projects worth approximately $70 million. This initiative is designed to demonstrate long-term financial and economic support for Ukraine from the United States amid the ongoing full-scale war and massive destruction of national infrastructure.

### Background and Strategic Areas of the Fund

The establishment of the fund was a practical outcome of the interstate mineral resources agreement signed by Kyiv and Washington in April 2025 at the initiative of US President Donald Trump's administration. The strategic activities of the new financial structure cover five priority areas, with critical minerals development, defense enhancement, energy sector modernization, and critical infrastructure restoration occupying key positions. According to Conor Coleman, head of the investment department at the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the current volume of fund projects has already reached $70 million.

### Investments in Rare Earth Metals and BGV Group

The first major project in the mining sector involves directing approximately $30 million into a joint investment platform with BGV Group. This company was founded by Ukrainian businessman Hennadii Butkevych, who is also known as a co-owner of Ukraine's largest supermarket chain, ATB. At the initial stage, joint efforts will focus on exploration and financing of mining projects at early stages of implementation located across various regions of Ukraine.

### Priority Resources and Energy Projects

The fund's focus includes strategically important elements such as rare earth elements, uranium, beryllium, and zirconium, all of which are fully included in the official US list of critical minerals. In parallel, the fund is implementing two major energy and heat supply projects amid ongoing Russian attacks. One of them complements nearly $100 million in financing for the DTEK energy holding to create an advanced backup battery system for 600,000 households, while the second aims to develop combined heat and power infrastructure.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Совместный фонд США и Украины заключил первое соглашение о редкоземах с компанией совладельца АТБ](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/spilniy-fond-ssha-ta-ukrayini-uklav-pershu-1791022152.html) - Данные подтверждены публикацией РБК-Украина со ссылкой на DFC и руководство фонда.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How much is the fund investing in the first rare earths project?
**A:** The first project involves an investment of approximately $30 million in a joint platform with BGV Group.

### Q: Who is the founder of BGV Group?
**A:** The company was founded by Hennadii Butkevych, who is also a co-owner of the ATB supermarket chain.

### Q: What minerals are on the fund's priority list?
**A:** The list includes rare earth elements, uranium, beryllium, zirconium, lithium, titanium, and graphite.