Ukraine and Italy have reached a preliminary agreement on the creation and promotion of the Made in Ukraine national brand in the European market with the support of Italian small and medium-sized businesses. This was agreed upon during a video conference between First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko and Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, as well as Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and his deputies Rostyslav Shurma and Ihor Zhovkva.

During the talks, the parties focused on supporting Ukrainian producers and exporters. They also discussed the possibilities of developing cooperation between the two countries in the light industry through wider involvement of specialized Ukrainian and Italian industrial associations.

"The Ukrainian light industry is developing even during the war and is reaching a new level. We see great opportunities for developing cooperation between Ukrainian and Italian fashion industry representatives," said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

According to Adolfo Urso, such cooperation will have a chance of success. After all, a number of typical Ukrainian goods can be identified with the national brand of Ukraine, which will facilitate their promotion in the European market, among other things, due to the solidarity of the EU countries with Ukraine.

The parties also discussed the Ukrainian-Italian conference on Ukraine's recovery to be held in Rome on April 26 this year. This event should serve as an expansion of the political, military, financial and humanitarian support that Italy has been providing to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.

"Today we are already thinking about our future, about economic cooperation with our friends and partners. We are extremely interested in investment and cooperation with Italy to rebuild Ukraine, to provide our people with opportunities to start businesses and create new jobs," said Andriy Yermak.

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine also thanked the Italian Republic for its strong support of Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Italy is a reliable international partner of Ukraine, which contributes to the fight against russian aggression and further reconstruction of Ukraine. She suggested Italian companies to leave the russian market.

"Today, it is extremely important to increase sanctions pressure on russia, particularly in the financial, banking and defense sectors. We expect that Italian companies that continue to operate in the market of the aggressor state will make prudent decisions and leave the Russian market," summarized Yuliia Svyrydenko.

Background

Since the beginning of the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation, Italy has been providing Ukraine with military, technical, financial and humanitarian assistance.

To date, five packages of military and technical assistance have been transferred: 544 ATGMs, 25 man-portable air defense systems, 15 howitzers, 177 mortars, artillery shells, 3028 small arms, 4722 body armor, 1440 helmets, 300 radios, 20400 dry rations, ammunition, armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles, winter uniforms, tracked all-terrain vehicles, anti-radar missiles, and mine detectors.

The Italian government provided Ukraine with direct financial assistance in the amount of EUR 110 million. Also, on August 5, 2022, an agreement was signed to provide Ukraine with a loan of EUR 200 million with a zero interest rate for 15 years, taking into account a grace period of 7.5 years for deferred repayment.

Italy has allocated EUR 25 million through the mechanisms of international organizations.

Italy took an active part in the meeting of the Group of Seven States and international financial institutions, which resulted in the agreement to allocate USD 18.4 billion to Ukraine to finance the budget.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 173,000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived in Italy since February 24, 2022, seeking temporary protection.

The accommodation and stay in Italy of temporarily displaced Ukrainian citizens is provided by the public, private sector (accommodation with Italian families) and the tertiary sector (volunteer, charitable, and religious organizations).