The UK government has signed a pact with Ukraine that commits to sharing engineering knowledge, as well as a new package of support to rebuild infrastructure damaged by the war with Russia.
Grant Shapps, transport secretary, hosted a virtual meeting with his counterpart at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, in the same week Ukraine marked its Independence Day and six month’s since Russia’s invasion.
After a presentation from Ukrainian officials concerning the war’s impact on the country’s train network, roads and bridges, the two transport leaders signed a joint action plan to help rebuild these services.
The agreement covers the sharing of technical advice from private-sector UK organisations. The UK will also send five buses from the Go Ahead Group and buy equipment to repair grain exportation routes.
Experts will provide guidance in airport, runway and port reconstruction and will reportedly collaborate with the Ministry of Infrastructure to identify training opportunities for airport staff.
UK-based transport infrastructure organisations can register their interest in joining the partnership.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s minister for infrastructure, said: “The fate of war is decided not only on the battlefield.
“Ukraine needs a strong economy and steadily operating infrastructure.
“Thanks to today’s agreements, we expect to receive high-quality expertise from leading British companies and institutes to restore Ukrainian infrastructure.
“I am grateful to my colleague, the transport secretary, for Great Britain’s comprehensive support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.
“This government is working tirelessly to help the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russia, with the total value of UK support now standing at nearly £4bn through multilateral loan guarantees and over £100m bilateral support.”
Shapps also provided further information on the £10m Ukrainian Railways support package, which covers the costs of bridge repairs and tunnel lining equipment, hand tools and more than 120 shipping containers.
The funding is intended to support the mobilisation of Ukraine’s grain trains, which are currently being blocked by Russia. As Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of grain, the government hopes this support will help improve both the country’s economy and global food prices.
This funding will also be used to support the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which helps to ensure the safe passage of grain, food and fertiliser exports out of Ukraine through protected shipping corridors.
