Mykola Kalashnyk met with German Federal Minister for the Environment Carsten Schneider
Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure, and Transport of Ukraine Mykola Kalashnyk held a meeting in Kyiv with Carsten Schneider, Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety of Germany.
The main topics of discussion were preparations for the upcoming heating season, implementation of resilience plans, and mechanisms for practical realization of green recovery projects. They also addressed attracting German private investment through public-private partnership (PPP) mechanisms.
“We are grateful to our German partners for their consistent support and willingness to share experience in large-scale reconstruction. Our task is to implement recovery projects not only quickly, but also in line with European standards of energy efficiency and environmental safety. We are embedding these principles at every level — from legislation to real infrastructure solutions,” emphasized Mykola Kalashnyk.
German partners offered advisory support to help Ukraine plan environmentally balanced recovery, avoiding mistakes Germany faced after World War II, when excessive infrastructure planning neglected ecological factors.
The parties agreed to transform and expand the Ukraine Green Recovery Action Platform — an international initiative under the auspices of the UN and OECD, created to coordinate post-war recovery in line with environmental standards and EU integration requirements.
One of the key issues discussed was decentralization of water supply and wastewater systems. The Ministry presented to German colleagues the need for technological solutions for autonomous water purification systems, including the use of renewable energy sources, which are critical under constant shelling.
Special attention was given to the problem of waste from destruction caused by attacks. The German side confirmed readiness to provide expert and technological support for handling such waste and for remediation of contaminated soils.
Representatives of the German private sector in energy, environmental technologies, and water supply also joined the meeting. They discussed prospects for projects in energy efficiency, circular economy, waste management, and water purification — including through PPP mechanisms. The first three pilot projects in the water supply sector are expected to be presented soon.