Prime Minister Fiala Held Talks in Uzhhorod with Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal and Signed a Declaration of Cooperation with Him
On Tuesday 20 May 2025, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala held talks in Uzhhorod with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal. The meeting followed up on last year’s government session in Prague, and therefore the meeting was also attended by the Minister of Finance Zbyněk Stanjura, Minister of Transport Martin Kupka and Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný. The main topic of discussion was predominantly economic and commercial cooperation. During the one-day visit to Ukraine, several joint memoranda and declarations were signed.
“Two weeks ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Prague, with whom we held a number of intensive talks, and today I am here in Ukraine. The frequency of our meetings demonstrates the friendship and closeness of our mutual relations,” stated the Prime Minister, who announced that he had signed a joint declaration with his Ukrainian counterpart summarising current and future cooperation. “I want to emphasise and stress the significance and importance of this declaration, because it is a document that is very specific in economic cooperation,” explained Fiala, adding that Ukraine welcomes our involvement in the reconstruction of their country. The complete declaration can be found in the annex to the press release.
The discussion focused on expanding trade ties, joint infrastructure projects, and new investment instruments. The delegation therefore also included representatives of the Czech banking sector, specifically from the Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation, Czech Export Bank, and National Development Bank. The latter bank is preparing a guarantee programme which is primarily financed from European sources and which will enable the financing of Czech projects in Ukraine worth almost five billion Czech crowns. “We are expanding our relations with Ukraine not only in the area of defence cooperation, but we are also increasing mutual trade. We want to conclude an intergovernmental agreement on the reconstruction of hospitals, which concerns the modernisation of six Ukrainian hospitals financed mainly from European funds,” added the Prime Minister.
A memorandum of cooperation in this field was also signed by both Ministers of Agriculture, taking into account Ukraine's European integration ambitions. The negotiations also addressed diplomatic cooperation, where an agreement on mutual use of land for embassies was signed.
“Ukraine can be assured that the Czech Republic stands firmly by its side. We support and will continue to support Ukraine with all our might, whether through military assistance or in the international arena, for instance in its efforts to join the European Union. We believe that Ukraine is fighting not only for its freedom but also for the security of all of Europe. We appreciate the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people and stand by their side,” concluded the Prime Minister.
