The G7 countries have reaffirmed their support for strengthening cross-border connectivity, including infrastructure and building sustainable supply chains, as well as integrating Ukraine’s transport network through the development of new rail links to the European gauge.
This is stated in the Declaration approved following the G7 Transport Ministerial Meeting, which was attended by Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.
In the document summarising the results of the Summit, the G7 transport ministers confirmed that the reconstruction of Ukraine remained a key priority.
“We will continue to work with Ukrainian authorities, European institutions, and International Financial Institutions through the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine and by leveraging private investments. We welcome the Platform’s expansion, the establishment of the International Transport Forum (ITF) Common Interest Group for Transport in Ukraine (CIG4U), as well as the ITF High-Level Dialogue on Ukraine,” the declaration says.
The G7 transport ministers welcomed the different initiatives to ensure that global supply chains remain resilient and undeterred by russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, such as the Ukrainian Black Sea Maritime Corridor, and the OECD Ukraine Programme. They recognised the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes Initiative as a vector for the integration of Ukraine and Moldova in the European transport area and as a permanent gateway to the EU single market and global supply chains.
They also underlined the importance of the Ukrainian Black Sea maritime corridor as an economical and efficient export corridor across the Black Sea, the initiatives on the demining of the Black Sea, and the implementation of the agreement between the EU and Ukraine on the carriage of freight by road.
The meeting participants underlined the importance of rebuilding destroyed transport systems to facilitate fast recovery of Ukraine from the impacts of russia’s illegal war of aggression.
“As such, we fully commit to ongoing work aimed at reconstructing sustainable, smart and safe transport systems in Ukraine, following the principle of “building back better”. Ukraine’s infrastructure and transport systems are not only crucial to restoring Ukraine’s economy and the welfare of its citizens, but also to recover international transport connectivity that will benefit global trade and supply chains,” says the declaration.
The meeting also announced the creation of a G7 Working Group on Transport Supply Chains to focus on current transportation challenges. (Government portal)