Last weekend, the Ukrainian Transport Infrastructure Development Committee held an off-site meeting at Ventspils Business Center, organized within the framework of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (USPP). The meeting with Ventspils entrepreneurs and the Ventspils Port Authority focused on issues related to the North–South Transport Corridor, the Three Seas Initiative, and cooperation with the port of Chornomorsk in Ukraine. Participants were also honored by the presence of Ukraine’s Ambassador to Latvia, Anatolii Kutsevol, who expressed support for the goals and tasks discussed.
The event in Ventspils was made possible thanks to the close cooperation between the Latvian “Baltic Association – Transport and Logistics” (BATL) and the Ukrainian Transport Infrastructure Development Committee, co-founded by the Association of Ukrainian Railway Operators.
Ivars Landmanis, BATL President, said: “This spring we signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation within the framework of the Three Seas Initiative, with the aim of developing efficient multimodal transport and creating an integrated transport corridor between the Baltic Sea and Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Our cooperation also includes the exchange of experience and best practices, so such an off-site meeting, with the participation of both Ukrainian and Latvian businesses, is very important for achieving the goals declared in the memorandum.”
Aivars Gobiņš, chairman of the council of several companies within BATL, emphasized that such meetings will further strengthen ties with Ukrainian entrepreneurs and create excellent opportunities for deeper cooperation. “The discussions highlight cooperation in several key areas, including the implementation of the Three Seas project and the creation of new logistics chains, which are important both for Latvia and for Ukraine.
Companies operating in the Port of Ventspils already work with all the countries of the Three Seas Initiative,
and we hope that Ukraine will soon join the initiative.”
Anatolii Kinakh, President of USPP, stressed at the opening of the meeting that one of Ukraine’s tasks is to transform its transport infrastructure to meet EU standards, and he highlighted Latvia’s experience in adapting its transport systems to EU requirements. “Our cooperation is not only about economic gain, but also about strengthening the security of our continent.”
Serhii Nenko, Chairman of the Ukrainian Transport Infrastructure Development Committee, underlined the importance of joining forces to create a Northern Transport Corridor. “This would diversify cargo flows and is necessary not only for Ukraine, but also for the Baltic States and Poland. To discuss how best to implement this, our off-site meeting is being held here in Ventspils.”
According to Nenko, Northern European markets – Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Baltic States, and Poland – are highly important for Ukraine, making a transport corridor ensuring uninterrupted large-scale cargo flows essential for both Ukraine and Europe.
The importance of safe and efficient transport systems was also stressed by Polish representative
Robert Milek Hoffmann, a political economy consultant with extensive international project experience. He recalled that the Three Seas Initiative, launched in 2015 by the presidents of Poland and Croatia, unites 12 countries between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas. It is not only a regional discussion platform but a strategic response to 21st-century challenges: energy independence, logistics resilience, digital sovereignty, regional cohesion, and collective security.
Hoffmann emphasized that the Three Seas Initiative has no future without Ukraine and Moldova and stressed that the time is now for action, not rhetoric. “This is the moment to act – with vision, courage, and shared responsibility,” he said. He also described the initiative as an investment driver, opening up private capital mobilization, co-financing from international institutions, and strategic investments in transport, energy, technology, and trade corridors through the Three Seas Investment Fund and new regional financial instruments.
Pavlo Podolian, Deputy Director for Economic Affairs at the Ukrainian state enterprise “Chornomorsk Sea Commercial Port,” reported that the port has adopted a sustainable development model in response to current challenges and the transfer of part of its infrastructure under concession. The model is based on public–private partnerships, investor involvement, innovation, and transparent management decisions.
According to Podolian,
the port is not only ready for change but is also an initiator of new approaches to port infrastructure in Ukraine.
Igors Udodovs, Acting Head of the Ventspils Port Authority, noted: “Logistics routes and directions of economic development in the world are constantly changing and adapting to one another. Ukraine, where the war will hopefully end soon, is and will remain an essential part of the global economy. We also see opportunities for cooperation that we want to develop at a new quality level.”
He recalled that earlier this spring, the Ventspils Port Authority signed a cooperation memorandum with the Port of Chornomorsk, which includes exchanging experience and developing new transport corridors. “Chornomorsk, like Ventspils, sees opportunities for future development by engaging in renewable energy projects, so we also consider the exchange of experience in this area particularly valuable,” Udodovs added.
The joint meeting of Ukrainian and Latvian transport sector representatives was also attended by the heads of Ventspils port companies A/S “Ventbunkers,” SIA “Ventspils Tirdzniecības osta,” A/S “Kālija parks,” A/S “Baltic Coal Terminal,” and A/S “Baltijas Ekspresis.”
Jānis Pauls, head of A/S “Baltijas Ekspresis,” said that the exchange of experience and cooperation between members of the Ukrainian Transport Infrastructure Development Committee, other Ukrainian entrepreneurs, and companies working in Ventspils Port will continue.
“We very much hope that this heinous war will end soon, and that next time we meet, we will already be discussing how we can help Ukraine rebuild the infrastructure devastated by the war,” Pauls said.
Read also: Opinion | Venta Port – costly silence and a failure without accountability