On 7 March, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko met with the Prime Minister of France François Bayrou.

The parties addressed key aspects of Ukrainian-French cooperation, including defence support, financial assistance, and attracting investments in the development of the Ukrainian economy.

"Ukraine is grateful to France and the French people for their comprehensive support - from military assistance and financing of the state budget to support for Ukrainians who have found temporary refuge in France. I would also like to thank you for the delivery of Mirage fighter jets, which is an important contribution to strengthening our country's defence capabilities. Thanks to the French aircraft, today Ukrainian pilots could have managed to repel one of the most massive air attacks by the russian aggressor," said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

During the meeting, the parties discussed opportunities to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities. The parties also devoted a large part of the meeting to expanding economic cooperation between the two countries. In particular, Yuliia Svyrydenko thanked for the approval of projects worth EUR 200 million to be implemented jointly by French and Ukrainian companies.

"Together with our French partners, we have processed dozens of applications, and the Government has already approved the first 19 projects in the areas of healthcare, energy, infrastructure and humanitarian demining. All of them will be implemented within a short timeframe of 5 to 16 months. Thanks to an intergovernmental agreement with France, we are receiving EUR 200 million to rebuild critical infrastructure, of which EUR 60 million will be used to support the energy sector. The programme has attracted considerable interest, with applications totalling EUR 600 million, which significantly exceeds the available funding. This confirms the readiness of the French private sector to support Ukraine even more actively. I called on the French Prime Minister to consider the possibility of expanding this instrument," said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

She also stressed the importance of recent French investments in the Ukrainian economy, particularly in the telecommunications sector, where one of the key projects was the deal related to the Datagroup Volia-lifecell. In 2024, IFC and the EBRD, with the support of the European Commission and the French Government in the form of guarantees, decided to invest a total of USD 435 million to modernise, expand and improve the quality of telecommunications services in Ukraine.

"We are ready to make every effort to create favourable conditions for the private sector ready to enter the Ukrainian market," she stressed.