Ukraine and Slovakia are deepening cooperation on passenger and freight rail transport, modernisation of cross-border checkpoints for pedestrian and car traffic, and strengthening the energy security of both countries. These issues of intergovernmental cooperation were discussed by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Peter Kmec, Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the use of EU funds of Slovakia, at a meeting in Uzhhorod.

“During the meeting with Slovak counterparts, we discussed specific projects that could potentially be implemented through the investment mechanism under the Ukraine Facility. In particular, we talked about the completion of the reconstruction of the Mukachevo – Veľké Kapušany interconnector, which will allow us to unite our national power grids. This will make our energy system more sustainable. We also talked about launching the Kyiv–Košice passenger railway service. Currently, the railway infrastructure on the Ukrainian side is ready, so we are working to accelerate the preparation of the railway infrastructure on the Slovak side,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

Another topic of discussion was the modernisation of the car and pedestrian checkpoint. The completion of the reconstruction of its passenger area will allow for the separation of passenger, bus and truck traffic, which should significantly increase cargo traffic.

“The implementation of all these projects will make our economy more self-sufficient and sustainable, as well as help expand export opportunities and improve logistics for Ukrainian citizens and businesses,” summed up Yuliia Svyrydenko.

According to her, these projects are crucial for the development of Ukraine and Slovakia. Their implementation is possible only with close cooperation between the governments.

She also urged Ukrainian businesses to prepare their projects for funding under the Ukraine Facility programme.

“Companies of any form of ownership – private, public or state-owned – will have access to funding under the Ukraine Facility programme. The main thing is that they are ready to invest in priority sectors of the economy. This is a good chance to expand, modernise or start a business. Enough funds have been reserved for these purposes, so we are looking forward to high-quality investment projects from Ukrainian businesses,” added Yuliia Svyrydenko.