Federal Minister Reiche attends the 8th German-Ukrainian Business Forum and announces a new funding instrument for companies (UkraineConnect)

On 15 December 2025, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche attended the 8th German-Ukrainian Business Forum in Berlin. The focus of the event is on the reconstruction of Ukraine, economic resilience, and key sectors, including the security and defence industry and the IT sector.

Federal Minister Reiche said: We are currently witnessing decisive days for the fate of Ukraine. At today’s conference, we will be talking about Ukraine’s reconstruction and in particular about its strengths, also in economic terms. Europe stands united behind Ukraine to safeguard its and also our interests.

On the occasion of the Forum, Federal Minister Reiche will be announcing the launch of UkraineConnect, a new funding instrument with an initial budget of €45 million to mobilise investments by German and European companies in Ukraine. In the context of the programme, which is being implemented by the KfW subsidiary DEG – the German Investment and Development Corporation – on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, companies can be granted low-interest loans to finance their projects in Ukraine. DEG has already implemented other similar instruments for the German Federal Government. UkraineConnect complements existing support measures of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, including investment and export credit guarantees and support in the energy sector through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.

The German-Ukrainian Business Forum is one of the central events in the context of the German-Ukrainian economic relations, and attracts a large number of business representatives from Germany and Ukraine. At the invitation of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and with the support of GIZ, two business delegations from Ukraine from the security and defence and the IT and innovation sectors are also participating in this year’s Forum.

On the German side, the Business Forum is being organised by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Ukraine) and the German Eastern Business Association (OA).

For further information on UkraineConnect, please visit: https://www.deginvest.de/Unsere-Lösungen/UkraineConnect/