Today, in the presence of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of France Emmanuel Macron, a protocol on cooperation was signed, fixing the key agreements between the companies. The protocol for a total amount of 900 million euros was signed by the head of the board of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" Alexander Kamyshin and CEO of Alstom Henri Popart-Lafarge.
If the intentions are successfully implemented, Ukrainian railway workers will be able to receive 130 new electric locomotives, of which 50 are electric locomotives operating on alternating current and 80 are dual-system (which can operate on both alternating and direct current).
“The signed agreement will allow us to receive much-needed electric locomotives at the best possible conditions in today's turbulent times. The use of Ukrainian companies and specialists in the construction and maintenance of machines will also bring a unique experience in Ukraine. There is still a lot of work to be done to discuss the technical details, but most of the negotiations are over,” said Alexander Kamyshin.
Negotiations on this agreement began in 2018, lasted three years and ended last year with the signing of the relevant intergovernmental agreement. Also, the law “On ratification of the Framework Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the French Republic regarding the official support for the renewal of the fleet of freight electric locomotives of the joint-stock company “Ukrainian Railway” No. 1607-ІХ was adopted, which was supported by the Verkhovna Rada on July 1, 2021.
The protocol provides for unique conditions for deliveries, in particular, the provision of a financial loan for 14 years by the French Treasury and a banking consortium in the amount of 85% of the contract value. The advance payment for the supply of electric locomotives is 15%.
“This is not just an agreement on the supply of locomotives – this is the integration of Ukraine into the economic system and transport network of the European Union,” said Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Renewal of the locomotive fleet is one of the priorities of Volodymyr Zelensky's "Big Construction" program, since the locomotive fleet of the Ukrainian railway is worn out by 95%, the average age of electric and diesel locomotives is 40 years.
An agreement on the supply of 370 units of fire and rescue equipment from the French company Desautel SAS to Ukraine for 300 million euros was also finalized today. Thus, Emmanuel Macron took to France contracts totaling 1.2 billion euros. In addition, Ukraine and France will continue to develop cooperation with Airbus to create a national air carrier.
