Swissrail on Economic Mission with SECO in Ukraine

In April, an economic mission to Ukraine was organized by SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) for private sector stakeholders. Swissrail, represented by Managing Director Andreas Haas, played an important role by actively conveying the ongoing support of the Swiss railway industry for Ukraine during the political meetings.
 

As part of the mission, a meeting in Kyiv helped strengthen and deepen the existing relationships with JSC Ukrainian Railways.
In Lviv and Vinnytsia, the focus turned to forward-looking mobility concepts in the regions. What began with the delivery of trams from Zurich, Bern, and Basel to Ukrainian cities has now developed into a broad and personal relationship between Ukraine and Switzerland. Swiss support for Ukraine's reconstruction places a particular focus on the mobility sector, promoting Swiss expertise in sustainable mobility solutions.

Andreas Haas reports:

“I personally first experienced Ukraine during what was probably the toughest negotiation of my career – a locomotive contract in Luhansk around 25 years ago. Back then, Ukraine was still strongly shaped by Russia, and the business culture was challenging accordingly.
Over the last decade, Ukraine has evolved into a modern and emerging nation. This is reflected in its young and dynamic government, with outstanding strengths in digitalisation and cybersecurity.
The brutal and incomprehensible invasion by Russia has stopped this progress in its tracks, destroying every positive perspective overnight.

This trip was my first into a war zone, and it left a deep impression on me. The stress of nightly drone and missile attacks, sustained over months or years, has left clear mental scars on the population.
Nearly everyone has been affected directly or indirectly by loss or injury. The conversations and encounters were moving and heartbreaking.

The people of Ukraine deserve my deepest respect. Their courage lies not only in defending their country, but also in defending a world order based on peace, freedom, and shared values.
In these incredibly difficult times, Ukraine needs our steadfast solidarity and compassion.”

Swissrail remains in continuous exchange with SECO and represents the interests of the rail and mobility industry in shaping Switzerland’s support measures.

Note on the translation: this text was translated using AI and checked by us. If you find any mistakes or something that is not clear, please let us know.