Ukraine and France launch Business Council to develop investments and strategic partnership

Ukraine and France have created a joint Business Council, which should become a permanent platform for dialogue between businesses of the two countries and facilitate the implementation of investment projects. This was reported by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.

The launch of the France–Ukraine Business Council was officially announced during a meeting of the co-chairs of the Joint Ukrainian-French Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation. The event brought together representatives of the governments and business communities of both countries.

During the meeting, negotiations were held by the Minister of Economy of Ukraine Oleksiy Sobolev and the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Investment Attraction at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Nicolas Forissier. The parties discussed mechanisms for deepening economic cooperation and supporting the private sector.

The French-Ukrainian Business Council is designed to strengthen mutual understanding between key industries, in particular the agri-food and defense sectors. It should also facilitate direct dialogue between companies and the launch of investment projects of common strategic interest for Ukraine and France.

According to Oleksiy Sobolev, the resumption of the work of the intergovernmental commission, together with the creation of the Business Council, opens a “direct line” for French business with the Ukrainian government. He emphasized that French companies are demonstrating their willingness to localize production in Ukraine in various areas, from demining to energy, and the state is creating the conditions for this.

The French side, for its part, confirmed its intention to strengthen support for the private sector of Ukraine and announced the preparation of a new competition for projects for French companies interested in working on the Ukrainian market. The launch of the competition is scheduled for mid-February 2026 as part of the renewal of the French Fund for Support of Civil Infrastructure of Ukraine.

A separate block of negotiations was devoted to Ukraine’s energy security. The parties discussed the needs of the Ukrainian energy system in the context of ongoing Russian attacks, as well as the possibility of involving French manufacturers in the supply of generators, transformers and high-voltage equipment.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed during the event between the State Geological Bureau of France (BRGM) and the State Service for Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine. The document marks a new stage of cooperation in the field of geology, critical raw materials and sustainable management of natural resources. In addition, a number of memoranda were concluded between French and Ukrainian companies in the infrastructure and defense sectors.

France emphasized that support for Ukraine will remain one of the key priorities of its presidency of the G7, in particular in terms of international assistance to the energy sector. According to Nicolas Forisier, the new agreements should bring together business communities, strengthen the defense-industrial base of both countries, pool expertise in the field of critical raw materials, launch projects in telecommunications, support energy, and deepen cooperation in the agricultural sector. He emphasized that France remains a consistent leader in supporting the recovery and long-term economic development of Ukraine.