Launched the first train connecting 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 🇷🇴 Romania.
Danger: long 🧵 ahead! :)
Just to remind. Back in August 2022, in the middle of the war, we completed 20km of new track reconstruction. That track was closed for 17 years. We done it in 2 months. And then we waited for another 4 months while Romanian railways completed its part of the job.
We also brought brand new diesel train to the route. Made in Ukraine during the war, btw.
Our inaugural trip today started in #Rakhiv with these #carols, performed by local kids band. Lovely.
5 reasons why this connection is important:
(1) yet another connection for cargo export. More business for both countries. Vital for 🇺🇦, because cargo export is blood for our economy. Beneficial for 🇷🇴, both railways and #Constanta seaport. Great extension for #SolidarityLanes.
(2) another connection for Ukrainians to the EU. You can change the train in Valea Viseului and travel to Cluj-Napoca where international airport gives you 30 destinations per day, incl. 2 flights to London. Or you can go to Bucharest.
(3) more than 30k Ukrainians live in Maramures county of Romania, which is neighboring Ukraine. We are happy to give them a comfortable connection to visit their friends and relatives in Ukraine.
(4) great opportunity for Romanians to #VisitUkraine. Ski resorts in the winter time or hiking #Carpathians in the summer time. And yes, I'm sure that many Romanians are fine to travel to Ukraine even amid the war.
(5) we have to finish a few more exercises with border control and the customs office, and we gonna give a direct transit route connecting Ukraine with Ukraine via Romania. That's important because of the Carpathian mountains, complicating other ways to connect inside Ukraine.
Actually, there is also 6th reason why this corridor is important, but that's something we never discuss. If you know what I mean. 😎
Crossing the border from 🇺🇦 to 🇷🇴.
It was an honor to have Orest Klympush as the loco driver for this first train. He was the first Minister of transport of Ukraine back in 1992-1994. He is 81 now, but full of energy and strongly supporting the development of Ukrainian railways. He's a legend.
Btw, our Vice-Prime-Minister @OlKubrakov also leads Ukrainian-Romanian governmental cooperation commission and strongly supports new connections between our countries.
So, here is the story of defense industrial base conference #DFNC1: US edition in Washington DC, 6-7 Dec.
Danger: long 🧵 ahead!
Looking back to September when we hosted the first-ever defense industry forum #DFNC1 in Kyiv, I must say the US edition is a logical next step. We had 13 US companies visiting Kyiv in September.
Now we brought 38 Ukrainian companies to the US. State-owned, led by @ukroboronprom and @HermanSmetanin personally, and private. B2B dialogue is crucial for further development of joint collaboration.
First time since the beginning of the #RussiaUkraineWar we brought together 67 factory managers of @ukroboronprom, our state-owned defense industry holding.
And here is why it's important.
Danger! Mid-size 🧵 here! :)
Here in Ukraine we work hard on increasing local production of weapons and ammunition. Manufacturing more #IronThings that help our armed forces fight #russians out of my land.
Therefore our factories and factory managers become important. Being neglected for decades, our factories return to life and start growing production volumes.
It happened after 3 people died in front of a closed shelter in Kyiv during another shelling by #russians.
Danger: long 🧵 ahead.
Yes, it's #russsians who are responsible for those deaths. No argue.
But it’s we, who could save those lives. If our shelters were properly functioning. And actually they should on 464th day of the war.
After finishing my day work in the ministry, I started digging in the shelters issue. I read reports and met people. And I must say the issue seems to be complicated.
Why. Bcoz we have to be ready for #marathon in this war, in UZ, in our lives.
It was my 2nd marathon (1st one was @nycmarathon in 2019).
Today I had 3 goals: 1. Not to die - ✔️ 2. Not to stop - ✔️ 3. Run in <5h - ✔️
My result today is worse than 1st one, but I'm fine with it.
I've started training exactly one month ago. On 5th of Feb. My trainer Alexander Kuzin drafted my training plan right on the napkin. 4 weeks, 3 trainings a week.
I don't actually remember how we got from putin’s idea to “take Kyiv in 3 days” to President #Biden walking across #Kyiv together with my President #Zelenskyy on the 362nd day of the war.
Let's just say that Biden’s visit to Kyiv yesterday was a historic moment.
So, now when the story with @BorisJohnson’s stylish hat became public, have to tell the whole story.
Danger: long 🧵 ahead.
The story starts in #Irpin, where @BorisJohnson was during his recent visit to Ukraine. Look how grumpy he was. And I thought that the reason could be in his hat. That’s #londonunderground hat, btw.
So when Boris visited our station shop, @Pertsovskyi_O asked @BorisJohnson whether he’d like to try a different hat. A proper one. Ukrainian Railways hat.