Shmyhal proposes that Germany increase taxes on goods from Russia, use proceeds for Ukraine’s recovery

During a meeting with Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany Robert Habeck, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal put forward a proposal to support the mechanism of introducing additional taxes on goods imported from Russia and direct the funds to the recovery of Ukraine.

The head of the Ukrainian government wrote this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

“I called for further strengthening of sanctions against Russia, in particular against Russian raw materials and energy resources. I also suggested that German partners support the mechanism of introducing additional taxes on Russian goods in order to direct these funds to the recovery of Ukraine," he wrote.

Shmyhal also thanked Germany for its continued support to the energy sector. He recalled that this autumn the German government allocated an additional 235 million euros to help Ukraine get through the winter. The Ukrainian side also provided information on the current situation in the energy sector and equipment needs.

“The trade turnover between Ukraine and Germany increased by 17% this year, reaching $6.1 billion. In this context, we discussed steps towards further economic integration with Germany in the form of the ACAA agreement, which will strengthen production cooperation between Ukraine and Germany, as well as the liberalisation of biomethane trade,” the head of the Ukrainian government said.

According to the Prime Minister, Ukraine and Germany also discussed consolidating efforts to strengthen air defense capabilities to protect not only energy facilities but also human lives.

Separately, Shmyhal stressed that Robert Habeck was the first German politician to call for the unblocking of arms supplies to Ukraine and remains committed to increasing military assistance to our country. In this context, the parties discussed the need to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons. This is one of the steps that will help us gain an advantage and force Russia to peace, the Prime Minister noted.

As reported by Ukrinform, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived on a visit to Berlin, where he met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and took part in the German-Ukrainian Business Forum.

Photo: Shmyhal, Telegram