Ukraine and Germany expand cooperation under the Industrial Ramstein program with support from KfW
On March 13, a meeting was held between Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, and representatives of the KfW Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau ("Credit Institute for Reconstruction") in Ukraine, as well as Jens Busma, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kyiv. Deputy Ministers Yegor Perelygin, Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, Vitalii Kindrativ, and Ministerial Advisor Andrii Teliupa participated in the event.
Key topics of discussion included Ukrainian-German cooperation under the 'Industrial Ramstein' program to support affected enterprises, cooperation within the framework of the KfW in Ukraine, and the institutional development of the National Development Agency (NDA).
“Ukraine aims to rebuild a modern, resilient, and EU-integrated industrial economy. And the ‘Industrial Rammstein’ program provides an operational mechanism for achieving this goal. In particular, cooperation with KfW offers opportunities for the large-scale modernization of our industry and a long-term economic partnership between Ukraine and Germany,” noted Oleksii Sobolev.
The 'Industrial Ramstein' program, which Ukraine is launching together with KfW through the NDA, is an initial agreement worth EUR 30 million, to be signed in April 2026.
The Minister emphasized that restoring industrial capacity is not only an economic challenge for Ukraine but also a matter of European economic security and the resilience of supply chains. In this context, it is important to scale up the 'Industrial Ramstein' financing framework using KfW instruments, including grants, preferential loans, and guarantees.
The parties also discussed other financing opportunities supported by Germany for the restoration of industrial equipment in Ukraine, the possibility of aligning German programs with EU guarantee instruments under the Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF) mechanism, as well as expanding partnerships between German industrial companies and Ukrainian manufacturers in reconstruction efforts.
Those present emphasized the importance of further developing the NDA and facilitating access to financing for small and medium-sized businesses. The approval and official presentation of the National Development Institute’s Strategy for 2026–2030 are scheduled for April–May of this year. The NDA plans to raise EUR 1.3 billion between 2026 and 2030, which will enable private financial institutions to invest EUR 3.3 billion in the economy through SMEs financing programs.
In addition, the NDA is preparing a financing program with EUR 140 million in EU funding for 2026–2027. The Government supports the need for additional capitalization of the NDA to support an expanded product portfolio.
Background information
The KfW is a state-owned bank of the Federal Republic of Germany and a leader among German banks in promoting economic development in Germany, Europe, and the world.
In Ukraine, KfW’s activities focus on areas such as: support for small and medium-sized enterprises; construction and energy conservation, environmental protection; financing of social infrastructure (water supply, energy supply, education, healthcare, etc.); export and project financing; and refinancing.