The key areas of strengthening economic cooperation between the countries and cooperation in the field of humanitarian demining were discussed during a meeting on 25 October between Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Ricardo López-Aranda Jagu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to Ukraine.

According to the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, more than 170,000 square kilometres of Ukraine’s territory are currently considered potentially contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance. This includes the most valuable agricultural land. Today, the state and its partners are working together to clear this land, which can feed tens of millions of people not only in Ukraine but around the world, as soon as possible.

“Global food security is one of the areas where we count on close cooperation between our countries. Despite russia’s military aggression, Ukraine remains a guarantor of global food security. Therefore, we need to restore the economic potential of our lands as soon as possible and ensure unimpeded delivery of Ukrainian food to countries that need it. That is why we are counting on Spain’s support in demining Ukrainian farmland and in food exports,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The parties also discussed the localisation of production in Ukraine, war risk insurance for Spanish companies cooperating with Ukrainian business, etc.

As a reminder, during the first International Donors’ Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine, held in Croatia on 11-12 October, Spain announced that it would allocate EUR 1.5 million to support humanitarian demining in Ukraine.

To support Ukraine’s private sector, Spain has decided to allocate EUR 70 million through the European Investment Bank for the development of Ukrainian SMEs. Spain is also launching two financial instruments worth EUR 30 million each: loan guarantees and risk indemnities for Spanish companies that will work in Ukraine to implement reconstruction projects.