Rebuilding Ukraine: Ukraine and France ink €200 mln deal for vital infrastructure and economic recovery support
The First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy, Yuliia Svyrydenko, and the French Ambassador to Ukraine, Gaël Veyssière, signed a grant agreement worth 200 million euros that will provide aid for the reconstruction and support of critical infrastructure and key sectors of Ukraine's economy.
The Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko, and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine reported that.
"Today, we signed the Implementation Agreement to the Grant Agreement between Ukraine and France, which opens the possibility of attracting 200 million euros of grant aid.
Up to 50% of these funds will be directed to purchasing Ukrainian goods and services for reconstruction projects," Svyrydenko said.
The mentioned projects will be implemented in cooperation with French companies, which currently employ 25 thousand Ukrainians.
"These projects will be implemented in close cooperation with French companies that actively support Ukraine and currently employ 25,000 people in our country," the minister said.
It is noted that the key sectors that will receive funding thanks to the agreement:
- health care,
- energy,
- water supply and drainage,
- demining,
- digital technologies,
- infrastructure,
- agriculture,
- waste processing,
- housing.
Work is also underway to expand the AFD Group's mandate in Ukraine. The French Development Agency, Proparco, and Expertise France will be able to provide various forms of financial and technical assistance to Ukrainian state and private enterprises, banks, and organizations.
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France is one of the most active partners of Ukraine. It provided the Ukrainian army with military aid, including artillery, armored vehicles, missiles, and other weapons. Ukrainian soldiers are also being trained on the territory of France.
It's worth mentioning that France will be handing over its attack drones, which are Paris's first development of its kind, to the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the upcoming weeks.
Furthermore, a Ukrainian brigade, named after Anne of Kyiv, is being established in France. The French military is currently training 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers.
In addition, Ukraine will receive 12 Caesar self-propelled artillery installations from the Franco-German defense group KNDS. The corresponding contract was concluded earlier.
Also, France plans to supply Ukraine with Mirage 2000 fighters, which will be equipped with new equipment before the transfer. Modernized French planes will be ready to be sent to Ukraine in the first half of 2025.
Also, the Franco-German arms group KNDS, manufacturer of Leopard 2 tanks and Caesar self-propelled guns, officially formalized the creation of a subsidiary in Ukraine on June 7.