Oleksii Kuleba presented the priorities of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development for 2026 to the relevant Parliamentary Committee

Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Oleksii Kuleba, together with his deputies Oleksii Riabikin, Natalia Kozlovska and Kostiantyn Kovalchuk, took part in a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, where he presented the Ministry's key priorities for 2026.

During his speech, he emphasised that these are decisions that directly affect the functioning of the state at the community and regional levels, and the daily lives of people, especially in wartime.

Particular attention was paid to the heating season and the resilience of communities in the context of russia's systematic attacks on energy and heating infrastructure.

"Targeted attacks on power generation, networks and heating nodes are a strategy to put pressure on civilian life. In this situation, communities play a key role. Where there is responsible local government, prepared utilities and coordination with the state level, heat returns faster, schools and hospitals work, and people feel the support of the state," Oleksii Kuleba emphasised.

He stressed that the state's task is to consistently strengthen the capacity of communities, in particular through the development of cogeneration and the provision of the necessary tools to respond to challenges.

The Deputy Prime Minister also called on MPs to support two important bills submitted to the Verkhovna Rada as part of Ukraine's commitments under the Ukraine Facility:

• a bill to support the development of efficient and sustainable centralised heat supply;
• Law No. 12377 “On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy”.

Separately, Oleksii Kuleba thanked MPs for their joint work in 2025, which had been a year of systematic preparation of key decisions in the areas of regional development, decentralisation, housing policy, urban planning and reconstruction. Thanks to cooperation with Parliament, a law on oversight of the legality of local government activities was passed, Ukraine Facility indicators were met, and funding for the State Regional Development Fund was secured.

Among the key areas of work for the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development within the framework of the Committee, Oleksii Kuleba highlighted:

Regional policy.

Completion of the formation of a multi-level governance system with a clear division of powers among levels of authorities. A particular focus is on supporting frontline regions, developing inter-municipal cooperation and modernising regional development instruments, in particular the State Regional Development Fund. An important element remains the full functioning of DREAM as a digital platform for public investment management and preparation for integration with EU instruments.

Housing policy.

Large-scale destruction and displacement of people require systemic solutions. The Ministry continues to develop a comprehensive housing policy, scale up social housing projects and implement the eVidnovlennia programme. Compensation has already been provided to 180,000 families. A programme has been launched to support internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories, providing UAH 2 million per family. At the same time, the need to increase funding for these programmes when amending the State Budget for 2026 has been emphasised.

Urban planning and spatial development.

The implementation of clear and transparent rules for territorial development remains a priority. In 2026, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development will continue the transition to digital tools in urban planning, in particular the full operation of the urban planning cadastre, integration with state registers and transparent territorial planning. This will give communities real influence over spatial development and provide the state with controlled and transparent reconstruction.

Detailed steps and key draft laws for 2026 were additionally presented by the relevant deputies of the Ministry.