German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged businesses to invest in war-torn Ukraine and underlined his commitment to facilitating Kiev's path to joining the European Union.
"If you invest in Ukraine today and in the coming years, you are investing in a future EU member," Scholz stated in his speech at a German-Ukrainian business forum in Berlin.
"After the war, we will see growth rates and development opportunities in Ukraine," Scholz said, comparing the economic potential to that of Eastern European countries that joined the bloc after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Germany's trade with Ukraine has grown from about 8 billion euros in 2021 to almost 10 billion euros in 2023, Scholz was quoted by AFP as saying.
Meanwhile, around 2,000 German companies are active in Ukraine, with trade in defence and chemical products among other areas.
In Ukraine's energy sector, which has been the relentless target of Russian attacks, Scholz stressed that he hoped cooperation would increase "because we need a lot of private investment."
Germany supports Ukraine in its search for a "just peace" to end the war triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion, Scholz said.
Such an agreement would have to guarantee "Ukraine's independence and the free choice of a future in Europe."
Ukraine will become an EU member, but "there is still some way to go before that happens," he added.
Germany will "walk this path" together with Ukraine towards accession, the chancellor stressed.
At the same event as Scholz, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal said "the role of private business is key" to the country's recovery.
"Every euro invested ... is a contribution to our common future" in the EU, Schmigal said. | BGNES
