“Industrial Ramstein”: Ukraine and Czechia Prepare Unique Recovery and Investment Agreement

September 17, 2025. Ukraine and Czechia are elevating their economic partnership to a new level, laying the groundwork for large-scale investments starting as early as 2026. The parties have agreed to swiftly sign an intergovernmental agreement (G2G), which will serve as the legal foundation for joint projects. The uniqueness of the deal lies in its comprehensiveness: it covers not only finances but also direct industrial cooperation, energy, and environmental protection.

The Essence of the Deal: From Guarantees to Machinery

As reports RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from the Ministry of Economy, Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Ukraine, negotiations were held in Kyiv between Minister Oleksiy Sobolev and a Czech delegation. Czechia has already secured a significant financial instrument — €188 million in credit guarantees (approx. $203 million) from the European Investment Fund for operations in Ukraine.

But the key lies in the concrete mechanisms. The agreement provides for increased insurance coverage from the Czech export agency EGAP, which will reduce risks for businesses. Furthermore, Ukraine will provide Czechia with a specific list of industrial equipment needed by affected enterprises. Grants are envisaged for Czech companies that will supply this equipment. For international businesses, this signals a structured, demand-driven approach to rebuilding Ukraine’s industrial base, opening procurement opportunities for technology providers.

“Our goal is to deepen cooperation through the signing of an intergovernmental agreement and the ‘Industrial Ramstein’ program,”

— emphasized Oleksiy Sobolev.

Key Areas of Cooperation

• Energy and PPPs: The Czech side is ready to join oil and gas extraction projects in the Poltava and Lviv regions under public-private partnership (PPP) and concession agreements.
• Environment: Czechia will provide assistance in water resource management (river basin plans), laboratory modernization, and soil contamination studies.
• Coordination: For efficient operations, the Czech Development Agency (M) will open an office in Kyiv by the end of 2025.

It is important that cooperation is not limited to governments.

“Even under wartime conditions, 220 Czech companies continue to operate in our country,”

— noted Sobolev. The new agreement aims to multiply this number.

Why This Matters for Ukrainian Business

For Ukrainian companies, especially in manufacturing and energy, this opens up several opportunities:

1. Access to Equipment and Technology: The program will enable the targeted procurement and implementation of modern Czech industrial equipment needed for modernization.
2. New Projects and Partnerships: The entry of Czech companies into energy projects under PPPs will create demand for local contracting services, logistics, and related services.
3. Raising Standards: Cooperation in ecology and resource management will incentivize Ukrainian enterprises and authorities to adopt more modern approaches, which is critically important for EU integration.

What’s Next? Roadmap Until 2026

The parties went beyond general declarations and outlined concrete steps:

• Fall 2025: Participation of Czech representatives in a demining conference in Tokyo (October) and the ReBuild Ukraine forum in Warsaw (November).
• Spring 2026: Investment seminars, including on attracting venture capital to the Ukrainian mining industry.
• 2026: Launch of practical implementation of the first projects backed by credit guarantees.

This agreement is an example of how military-political support can and should transform into concrete economic and investment programs. For Ukraine, this is a chance to attract not just money, but technology, expertise, and long-term partners for the recovery of its industrial potential.