About 9 million tons of cargo were transported through Danube ports in 2025, — Ministry of Development

At the same time, constant Russian attacks on the ports of the Danube cluster have led to significant restrictions on the functioning of the ports.

Another QUAD meeting was held in Izmail with the participation of representatives of Ukraine, the European Commission, Romania and Moldova. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Reconstruction.

The meeting was dedicated to the current situation in the maritime industry, in particular in the Danube region, as well as the consequences of Russian aggression for the port infrastructure.

During the negotiations, the participants discussed the impact of security threats, the difficult energy situation and restrictions on transport on the work of the ports, as well as short- and long-term solutions to ensure the stability of logistics chains. Special attention was paid to the role of the Danube ports as a critically important backup export route and the need to increase their resilience.

The issue of supporting the stable operation of the national carrier – the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company, which operates in conditions of systemic attacks from Russia was also raised.

Deputy Minister of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development Andriy Kashuba informed the partners about the state of Ukraine’s maritime and river industry, as well as the consequences of shelling of port and energy infrastructure in late 2025 – early 2026.

According to him, in 2025, more than 8.9 million tons of cargo were handled through the Danube ports of Izmail, Reni and Ust-Dunaysk, which allowed to reduce the load on land checkpoints and support Ukraine’s export capabilities. At the same time, the intensification of attacks on Danube ports and nearby cities led to disruptions in the operation of the power system and significant restrictions on the operation of the port cluster.

The Ukrainian side outlined the priority needs for the restoration of the power generation capacities of ports, in particular the need for transformers and generators, and appealed to the EU with a request to consider the possibility of appropriate support.

In the long term, the meeting participants discussed strengthening regional cooperation, including the Ukrainian section of the Danube in the TEN-T network, as well as further steps to attract European funding for the restoration and development of the port infrastructure of the Danube region.

The previous meeting of representatives of Ukraine with the European Commission took place in January. The key objective of the meeting was to agree on approaches to the coordination of international assistance.