Prime Minister discusses rapid recovery projects with French Transport Minister
Bilateral cooperation and the implementation of joint recovery projects were discussed during a meeting in Kyiv between Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Minister Delegate for Transport at the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion Clément Beaune, and Special Envoy of the President of France for Ukraine’s Relief and Reconstruction Pierre Heilbronn.
“The scale of the problems and challenges that Ukraine has faced since the russian invasion is unprecedented. We are grateful to the Government, the President and the people of France for the assistance provided to our country in all areas,” said Denys Shmyhal.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine stressed that the bilateral Forum on Resilience and Reconstruction of Ukraine, held last December with the participation of President Emmanuel Macron, was a strong signal for French companies to launch investment projects and get involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Denys Shmyhal also thanked for the appointment of the Special Envoy of the President of France for Ukraine’s Relief and Reconstruction.
“I hope that the appointment of the Special Envoy will become a catalyst for our cooperation in the restoration of Ukraine, given the significant package of financial assistance provided by France for its implementation,” the Head of Ukrainian Government said.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine stressed the importance of implementing early recovery projects this year. According to the World Bank, this year Ukraine needs USD 14.1 billion for these purposes. Denys Shmyhal thanked for the assistance provided for the reconstruction of Chernihiv region and called on France and French businesses to join the rapid recovery projects.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine also expressed gratitude for the EUR 2 billion in aid announced by the President of France last May. According to Denys Shmyhal, part of this assistance (EUR 400 million) was provided as direct budgetary support, another EUR 100 million was spent on humanitarian aid, almost EUR 100 million was provided through EBRD guarantees to Ukrzaliznytsia, and EUR 75 million was granted to other companies.
For his part, Minister Delegate for Transport Clément Beaune noted that the recovery priorities identified by the Government of Ukraine were in the focus of France’s attention. In particular, France has specific projects in the field of logistics and transport. He also said that a number of French companies were interested in strengthening their presence in Ukraine.