Slovenia will provide Ukraine with EUR 1.5 million for humanitarian demining. The corresponding Agreement was signed on 4 December 2023 in Ljubljana by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Slovenia Andrii Taran, on behalf of the Government of Ukraine, and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Tanja Fajon, on behalf of the Government of Slovenia. The signing ceremony was attended online by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Mateja Prevolšek, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the funds will be disbursed this year on a non-refundable basis.

“Ukraine is very grateful to the Government and people of Slovenia for the support and assistance we have received since the first day of russian aggression. The EUR 1.5 million that Ukraine is receiving today from the people of Slovenia will help provide the State Emergency Service and the State Special Transport Service with the necessary personal protective equipment, tools and machinery for demining. These funds will help speed up the clearance of explosives from the territory of our country and save the lives and health of many Ukrainians,” Yuliia Svyrydenko said.

First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy of Ukraine also thanked Slovenia for its participation in the sectoral working group to coordinate donor efforts. According to Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine is committed to working closely and in dialogue with its partners to develop long-term solutions and launch projects that will not only meet immediate needs, but also lay the foundation for long-term cooperation in this area.

It is worth reminding that Ukraine is currently the most heavily mined country in the world. Almost a third of its territory – nearly 174,000 square kilometres – is considered potentially dangerous. The Ukrainian Government aims to bring 80% of this land back into economic use within 10 years.