Today in Kyiv, a working meeting took place between the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine and the leadership of the UK Embassy and FCDO. The parties discussed priorities for economic reforms, modernization of state institutions, and areas of future UK support.
Ukraine emphasized the need to attract British investment in industry, energy, logistics, the digital economy, and defense technologies. The discussion included organizing the UK–Ukraine Business Mission 2026 and strengthening cooperation with UK DBT/FCDO, UkraineInvest, The Tony Blair Institute, TheCityUK, and Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).
A dedicated session focused on the TIGER programme, with Ukraine requesting enhanced support for deregulation, SME financing tools (including the IFC risk-sharing facility), and digital business services.
The meeting also covered corporate governance reform of state-owned enterprises. The Ministry confirmed that the formation of Energoatom’s supervisory board will be conducted via an open competition under OECD standards, with the new board appointed by the end of 2025.
Minister Oleksiy Sobolev highlighted:
"We have a shared plan with international partners — now is the time to act effectively. We must reform corporate governance, attract private investment, and create conditions in which international partners view Ukraine as a predictable and reliable jurisdiction."
The parties discussed the newly established Delivery Unit, focused on practical implementation of government priorities. The UK offered support in the energy sector and funding for analytical and advisory services for KSE and the Prime Minister’s Office. Special attention was given to ensuring energy system functionality amid regular outages, recruiting external experts with crisis management experience, and designing an effective market–state–international partner interaction model.
Planned initiatives by the Ministry include:
- Pilot operations for selling minority stakes, including international IPOs;
- Attracting strategic investors;
- Structured M&A deals with international advisors.
Despite complex assets and legal constraints, interest from private investors is growing. The Ministry is consulting with the IFC on creating a retainer fund to support state transactions and asset preparation.
Ukraine also confirmed interest in UK expertise for implementing a national Emissions Trading System (ETS), methodologies for accounting environmental damage, and preparing evidence for compensation mechanisms, including the Register of Damage for Ukraine (R4DU).
Deputy Minister Pavlo Kartashov added:
"We see enormous potential in cooperation with British partners to implement reforms. Our goal is to ensure transparent and effective state enterprise operations and create conditions for attractive investment projects."
Ukraine expressed gratitude to the UK for practical support and agreed to focus on projects that create investment opportunities, strengthen energy system stability, and improve state institution efficiency.
