“The message is that of support from France and Europe”, indicates the Minister of Transport

The Minister of Transport made a stopover in Moldova before beginning, Friday, April 21 in Odessa, a two-day official visit to Ukraine. Clément Beaune returns, in an exclusive interview, granted to franceinfo, this first trip of a French minister entirely devoted to the reconstruction of the country.

franceinfo: What message do you want to send by making this trip?

Clement Beaune: The message is that of support from France and Europe, we have been doing this since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022 in all its forms. Military support, budgetary and financial support. In the logistics and transport sector, a lot of aid has been provided to Ukraine with buses and coaches to provide school transport with our companies in the maritime sector which are present. I will go to see them in Odessa. We must reinforce this aid with deliveries to meet very specific, very concrete needs, of generators, vehicles, boats to transport goods, to transport all essential goods. It is this concrete, continuous, amplified support that I have come to bring to the transport sector.

>> War in Ukraine: how the country is preparing its reconstruction despite the bombs still raining

What is your trip like?

We are still in an emergency because it is unfortunately still an active conflict, a conflict that is causing damage and killing people. We project ourselves into the future. I mobilized French companies before coming and we are preparing for the aftermath, we identify the needs. I will sign with my Ukrainian counterpart, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of infrastructure, a list of needs which projects Ukraine into the future and we know that there will be very strong needs in terms of transport.

From this Friday you will be in the port of Odessa, which is the door to the cereal granary that Ukraine also represents, is there a strong stake in this to secure this port?

There is a very high stake. We know that this was a strong need for Ukraine at the start of the conflict. We have created solidarity corridors with our European partners that have enabled Ukraine to export tens of millions of tonnes of cereals to ensure its own economic survival and to supply many countries in the world that rely on Ukraine. , on Ukrainian cereals. France participated in this effort in Romania, in Ukraine itself we are bringing boats and I will tell the Ukrainian authorities that we are ready to provide additional equipment for this supply. France has been a leader since day one in European and global support. France is positioning itself to continue to respond to these urgent needs and to prepare for the future because we must give hope to the Ukrainian people.