During a working visit to Finland, a Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Natalia Kozlovska met with Minister of Climate and Environment of Finland Kai Mykkänen.

Kai Mykkänen assured of the Finnish side's commitment to support Ukraine's recovery and emphasized that during his last visit to Ukraine he had had the opportunity to personally see the extent of the environmental damage caused by the russian invasion. In addition, Kai Mykkänen noted that Finland currently ranked sixth among the European Union member states in terms of assistance to Ukraine.

Natalia Kozlovska expressed gratitude to the people of Finland for their support of Ukraine and to the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Finland for the opportunity to study the Finnish experience in the issues that are extremely relevant for our country today - the management of waste from the destruction and the development of the shelter system.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that due to the full-scale invasion of the aggressor country, Ukraine's infrastructure underwent significant damage on a daily basis, which leads to the generation of a large amount of demolition waste.

Among the main principles that are being implemented in Ukraine in reconstruction projects are safety, inclusion, and sustainable use of resources (circular economy principles). Therefore, the issue of applying the best European practices is a priority for Ukraine.

Natalia Kozlovska also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to learn from Finland's experience in terms of approaches to recycling construction waste and its reuse in construction. Finland is one of the leaders among the European Union member states in terms of providing civilians with civil defense shelters. The mandatory construction of shelters in Finland is provided for by law.

Therefore, it is significant for Ukraine to study the Finnish experience in developing a system of shelters, their protective properties and special equipment, as well as the maintenance, operation and use of shelters in peacetime as multifunctional dual-purpose structures.

During the meeting, the parties discussed areas for further cooperation in these areas.

The visit of the Ukrainian delegation was held in accordance with the bilateral agreements between Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine - Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, and Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Climate and Environment of Finland, during the latter's visit to Ukraine in March this year and was organized with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Climate of Finland and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The Ukrainian delegation included Oleh Bondarenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management, Tymur Tkachenko, Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine, Oleksandr Chekryhin and Oleksandr Leshchenko, Heads of the Emergency Prevention and Civil Protection Departments of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and representatives of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.