UAE, Ukraine boost business and investment cooperation

Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and the UAE Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy to Ukraine, led a high-level UAE delegation on an official visit to Ukraine, aimed at advancing business and investment ties, deepening economic cooperation, and expanding humanitarian engagement - underscoring the UAE’s comprehensive approach to supporting Ukraine’s stability, recovery, and long-term development.

As part of the visit, Al Hashimy met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, where she conveyed the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Furthermore, in recognition of the UAE’s contributions in supporting the Ukrainian people and its humanitarian collaborations, President Zelenskyy awarded Reem Al Hashimy the Order of Princess Olga, First Class, one of Ukraine’s highest civilian honors.

Throughout the visit, Reem Al Hashimy held a series of high-level meetings with Ukrainian counterparts including with Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Andrii Sybiha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment & Agriculture; and Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Defence.

Discussions focused on advancing cooperation in trade, investment, digital transformation, infrastructure, agriculture, renewable energy, and other strategic sectors, supporting the ratification and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed in February 2025.

Reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to regional stability and humanitarian diplomacy, Al Hashimy highlighted the UAE’s ongoing role in mediating captive exchanges, with 17 facilitations to date, resulting in the release of 4,641 captives from both sides. Al Hashimy also emphasised the UAE’s continued focus on peacebuilding dialogue, and trust-building measures.

On the humanitarian front, Al Hashimy met with the First Lady Olena Zelenska and signed a $5 million partnership agreement with the Olena Zelenska Foundation, aimed at supporting psychosocial recovery centers, safe schools programs, and foster-family initiatives. Al Hashimy also visited one of the UAE-supported foster family homes and met with the children and families living in the house, illustrating the tangible impact and social value of these projects on the ground.

Since the onset of the conflict, the UAE supported various aid programmes in Ukraine including foster family homes, relief supplies, ambulances, generators, and essential services benefiting more than 1.2 million people. These efforts form part of the UAE’s wider humanitarian efforts, which provide immediate relief to foster long-term recovery and community resilience.

Reem Al Hashimy’s visit underscores the UAE’s long-term strategic vision for partnership with Ukraine - one that combines economic investment, private-sector collaboration, and humanitarian assistance not only as distinct pillars but as interlocking elements of sustainable development, recovery, and lasting peace.

The delegation included Salem Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Ukraine, Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organisations, and other senior officials, and business stakeholders, reflecting the UAE’s commitment to broadening and institutionalising strategic engagement.

Ukraine war: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to broker peace in Ukraine like in “the Middle East” during a phone call on Saturday, saying if Trump could stop one war, “others can be stopped as well”.

The call came a day after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy grid, knocking out power to parts of the capital Kyiv and nine other Ukrainian regions.

Diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have slowed in recent months, in part because global attention shifted to Israel’s two-year war with Palestinian group Hamas, Kyiv says.

Trump, who announced the first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in August but failed to extract any kind of peace deal.

“I had a call with US President Donald Trump. A very positive and productive one,” Zelensky said on Facebook, congratulating Trump for his “outstanding” ceasefire plan in the Middle East.

“If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well, including the Russian war,” Zelensky added, calling for Trump to pressure Russia into negotiations.

Relations between the two leaders have warmed dramatically since February, when they sparred during a now infamous televised meeting at the White House.

Trump has since grown more hostile towards Moscow while expressing sympathy for Ukraine.

In September, he wrote on Truth Social that Kyiv should try to “take back” all its occupied territory with Europe’s and NATO’s help. US First Lady Melania Trump said Friday she had secured the release of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia after establishing an extraordinary back channel of communication with Putin.

Agencies