German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) advocates for investments in Ukraine. “If you invest in Ukraine today and in the coming years, then you’re investing in a future EU member” he said on Wednesday at the seventh German-Ukrainian Economic Forum in Berlin.
That’s clear, he emphasized: “We will see growth rates and development opportunities in Ukraine after the war, similar to what we know from the Central and Eastern European countries that have joined the EU in the last two decades.” The German economy has had a great share in the success stories of these countries and has even profited from them. “I wish the same for Ukraine” Scholz said.
German trade with Ukraine is already growing – from nearly eight billion euros in 2021 to almost ten billion euros in the past year. Germany exports, besides defense goods, mainly machines, chemical products, and cars to Ukraine. And it imports electrical engineering, raw materials, and food from Ukraine. Around 2,000 German companies are already active in Ukraine. “Many of them plan additional investments” the Chancellor said.