Reem Alabali Radovan, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
Copyright© Bundesregierung/Steffen Kugler
For more than four years now, Ukraine has been fighting for its freedom, for democracy, but also for our security, for Europe. Germany stands in solidarity with Ukraine. Ukraine can count on our support.
Russia’s invasion, which began on 24 February 2022, has caused unspeakable suffering for Ukrainians and disrupted the peaceful order of Europe. Russia’s attack has also been an attack on the current world order and on international law. Ukraine is defending its own territory and also security in Europe. Through its contributions, the BMZ is helping to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience and is supporting the country in mitigating the impacts of the war as well as helping to shape the reconstruction process.
That is why the German government has committed to offering Ukraine comprehensive support and it is why, at the German-Ukrainian government consultations in April 2026, it was agreed to confer on this cooperation the status of a strategic partnership. Alongside military engagement, this includes civilian engagement, because Ukraine needs more than just weapons, it also needs electricity, a functioning health system, education, and economic strength. This is vital if Ukraine is to remain resilient during the war and achieve a strong recovery.
Germany is supporting this through its development policy. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is working for
- an economically strong Ukraine with transparent government structures,
- a strong democratic Ukrainian society that is able to come to terms with the horrors of war,
- and a Ukraine that is part of Europe, with the prospect of EU accession.
Germany’s support benefits mainly the people of Ukraine, but it also benefits Europe and Germany, since Ukraine is defending our world order and security in Europe. A strengthened Ukraine will be able to welcome returnees home and can also become a driving force for economic development and a strong trading partner.
German development cooperation with Ukraine
The Development Ministry (BMZ) works both with the Ukrainian government in Kyiv and with municipalities, the private sector and civil society.
In that context, close coordination with European neighbours, international partners (especially among the G7) and within the German government is very important. That is why Germany is an active member of the Ukraine Donor Platform (External link), with BMZ State Secretary Niels Annen being the German Senior Government Representative for this Platform.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the BMZ has made available some 2.4 billion euros to support Ukraine (as at April 2026).
The projects funded from this support are being implemented mainly through GIZ and KfW Development Bank, in cooperation with the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank. Municipal partnerships and aid agencies’ programmes also play an important role.
What are we doing?
The BMZ and the Ukrainian government have agreed to focus their cooperation on the following priority areas:
Fostering local economic development, increasing employment and mobilising the private sector
Small, micro and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) are the backbone of Ukraine’s economy. They are suffering severely under the impacts of the war, such as the destruction of production sites, inflation, a massive decline in sales and a lack of access to finance. Many are facing the threat of closure.
In 2024, the BMZ and Ukraine jointly launched the SME Resilience Alliance. Since then, many international partners have joined the Alliance. Its aim is to coordinate all initiatives designed to support SMEs and to identify ways to further develop them so as to support Ukrainian SMEs in growing and becoming more resilient. Another goal is to prepare the Ukrainian economy for meeting the requirements of the EU accession process.
Furthermore, the BMZ is also supporting the National Development Institution (NDI), a Ukrainian reconstruction body that transitioned from the Ukrainian (External link)Business Development Fund (External link) (BDF) wwith German support in 2026. The NDI provides loans to SMEs severely affected by the war, for example in the agricultural sector, and is to be further expanded modelled on Germany’s development bank KfW. A new German-Ukrainian initiative on industrial reconstruction will also be launched via the NDI, as was agreed by Germany and Ukraine during the high-level government consultations in 2026.
In view of the significant demand for skilled workers for the reconstruction effort, the BMZ and the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy launched a Skills Alliance in June 2024. Since then, 535,000 Ukrainians have been trained in skills needed to move the country’s recovery forward. More than 100 partners from civil society, the private sector, governments and international organisations are working together to strengthen vocational training in Ukraine.
Mobilising the international private sector for the recovery is also a key objective of the BMZ’s work in Ukraine. In 2025, the BMZ, together with the EU, France, Poland and Italy, launched the European Flagship Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. The Fund is intended to facilitate the financing of private-sector reconstruction projects in Ukraine.
Securing health services and mitigating the impacts of war
Since early 2022, the BMZ, together with local partners, has supported some 860 hospitals, clinics and other health facilities, providing them with equipment and with staff training, giving around 4.7 million Ukrainians access to health services.
Activities include setting up a prosthetics workshop and providing psychosocial support to help people cope with the trauma of war. Materials and knowledge are also being shared with hospitals in Ukraine via hospital partnerships. A total of 41 German and 113 Ukrainian hospitals are participating in the partnership network (as at March 2026).
Moreover, the BMZ is assisting Ukrainian internally displaced persons, for instance with regard to finding accommodation, acquiring professional skills and qualifications and looking for work in their new place of residence.
The BMZ also supports the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools, libraries, preschools and youth facilities, and the construction of housing.
Supporting energy supply and energy efficiency and municipal reconstruction
Copyright© Ukrenergo
An engineer from the Ukrainian transmission system operator Ukrenergo maintains a transformer cooling system at a substation in Ukraine.
A reliable power supply is crucial if a country is to maintain its capacity to act in wartime and provide its people with uninterrupted services, and it is vital for the recovery process. However, Russia continues to carry out massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, destroying power stations and substations.
The BMZ and international partners are assisting the Ukrainian energy operator, Ukrenergo, in repairing damage, purchasing new material and protecting critical infrastructure. The aim of these efforts is to modernise the grid, make it more energy efficient and bring it into line with EU standards. At the municipal level, the BMZ is supporting the development of a decentralised energy supply based on renewable energies. In order to mitigate the impacts from the damaged energy infrastructure in the winter, the BMZ is providing combined heat and power systems and other flexible generators for decentralised use.
Germany has also joined forces with the EU to support the rehabilitation and modernisation of Ukraine’s water and sanitation system, for instance through a modernised water system for 190,000 people in Chernivtsi. Together with the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, the BMZ is actively involved in efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in numerous communities, reaching over eight million war-affected children and their families.
In addition, the BMZ is assisting German municipalities, enterprises and civil society organisations in developing their partnerships with counterparts in Ukraine. There is now a large network of over 260 Ukrainian-German municipal partnerships.
Strengthening local self-government and fighting corruption
Germany has been supporting local self-government and decentralisation in Ukraine for many years. It is helping municipalities to build the capacity they need to plan the recovery effort. Anti-corruption efforts play an important role in this work.
The construction sector is particularly susceptible to corruption. With support from the BMZ, efforts are under way to improve Ukraine’s “Prozorro” procurement system and to develop the country’s digital tender platform, DREAM (External link) (Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management).
Strict corruption prevention measures are implemented in all projects, for instance through GIZ and KfW, to make sure that the funding provided will serve the intended purposes.
Building a strong civil society and democracy
Ukrainian media centres and media companies as well as regional media workers are providing information for internally displaced persons and taking action against fake news. The BMZ is providing support towards these efforts. In order to create greater transparency, the BMZ is also working with the Ukrainian government and non-governmental organisations to develop digital tools for services for citizens. And efforts are under way to strengthen political foundations so they can continue their work in spite of the war.
Advice on reforms and on Ukraine’s accession to the EU
Negotiations with Ukraine on EU accession started on 25 June 2024. This has provided a clear framework for Ukraine’s orientation towards Europe.
The BMZ is advising the Ukrainian government on how to reduce structural barriers for the country’s economic development and implement the reforms needed for EU accession. This is also helping to eliminate trade barriers for German companies and to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. In all the BMZ’s projects, consideration is given to the prospect of EU accession. This means that EU standards are already being introduced and workers are being provided with relevant training.
SDG trends for Ukraine
- On track or maintaining SDG achievement
- Moderately improving
- Stagnating
- Decreasing
- Trend information unavailable