The Republic of Latvia remains a reliable and constant partner for Ukraine. Next year, cooperation between the two countries will develop in several areas, including the restoration of Chernihiv region, the development of transport links and energy security.

Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, and Ilgvars Kļava, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to Ukraine, agreed on this during the meeting.

"We are grateful to the Republic of Latvia for its cooperation and constant support of our country. This is an example of the concrete work that we have been doing over the years in a calm and balanced manner. On behalf of the entire Chernihiv region and the Ministry, I sincerely thank you for all the help you provide. We already have a number of priority areas in which we would like to continue our cooperation. First and foremost, we would like to get support of our frontline regions and protection of energy facilities," said Oleksii Kuleba.

For his part, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Tymur Tkachenko noted that Ukraine was interested in developing transport logistics and access to Baltic ports.

"Currently, access to Latvia's port infrastructure is possible only by transit railway connection through Poland. Therefore, there is a need to build new terminals to switch wagons to bogies of a different gauge. The implementation of this project will provide an alternative transport corridor and create a new supply chain. This, in turn, will make it possible to increase the volume of freight traffic and open up access for Ukrainian exporters to the port capacities of the Baltic countries," said Timur Tkachenko.

Maryna Denysiuk, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development, said that the Government had established a Recovery Task Force and an Advisory Group under the Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development, which will help coordinate and specify recovery projects. The Task Force will be a ‘one-stop shop’ for the exchange of information on urgent recovery and reconstruction needs. Maryna Denysiuk invited Latvian partners to join these groups.

The two sides agreed to synchronise their efforts to rebuild Chernihiv region. Ilgvars Kļava assured that in 2025 Latvia would continue to allocate funds to help Ukraine. The focus remains on social sector buildings - schools, hospitals, and non-governmental organisations. According to the ambassador, it is very important for Latvia to make the lives of Chernihiv residents affected by the war more comfortable. That is why many Latvian volunteers are currently working to help the region. In addition, Latvian energy companies have expressed a desire to provide solar panels for Chernihiv region. The issue of their delivery and installation is currently being resolved.

The head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastrtucture Development, Serhii Sukhomlyn, suggested that the solar panels should be transferred to water utilities, where the efficiency of their operation will be high.

As a reminder, in 2023 Latvia allocated EUR 5.1 million for the restoration of Chernihiv region, and in 2024 - more than EUR 5 million.