Belgium will send 3,000 tonnes of salt to Ukraine to de-ice public roads in the current winter conditions, which is essential to allow the Ukrainian population to remain mobile despite the war and the unfavourable weather conditions at this time of the year.
Five trucks were already sent to Ukraine at the end of November to transport the first 125 tonnes of salt on site. From early January 2023 to the beginning of March, ten trucks will leave every week.
"In total, 110 to 115 trucks will make the journey to Ukraine to deliver the road salt, donated by the Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency (Vlaams Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer)," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a press release.
The shipment is a cooperation between Flanders (for the donation of road salt) and the Federal State, which provides logistical coordination at the European level and transport through the B-FAST mechanism. This aid shipment represents a total value of €600,000, including transport costs.
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"This way, Belgium responds to the request for assistance launched by Ukraine via the European Civil Protection Mechanism (MEPC) as a result of Russia's military invasion of the country, which targets basic civilian infrastructure," the Ministry added. "Belgium takes this opportunity to express once again its full solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who are facing the harsh realities of war and winter."
B-FAST works with the Directorate General of the European Commission in charge of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) to organise this transport.
