France pledges 650-mln-euro assistance to Ukraine

MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky will sign two agreements on Friday, June 7, on the provision of loans and grants to Ukraine totaling 650 million, including to support the local authorities and critical infrastructure, Ukrainian media said, quoting a French presidential administration's statement cited by Le Monde.

One of the agreements will provide the French Development Agency with "400 million euros as loans and 50 million euros as grants to broaden its operations in Ukraine" through support for the energy and transport sectors and "development of the administrative potential," the statement said.

The other agreement establishes a "support fund" for critical infrastructure. Some 200 million euros will be invested "to support French companies in the upcoming tenders [...] in the fields of energy, transport, water supply, sanitation, healthcare and agriculture," it said.

"The money will finance major projects and will help enhance or replace non-working energy infrastructure elements," the statement said.