Kyiv, Bucharest team up to expand border crossing capacity
Ukraine-Romania border crossing point (Photo: Ukraine’s Ministry of Community and Territorial Development)
Ukraine and Romania have agreed to jointly develop border infrastructure to increase traffic capacity at the Porubne–Siret crossing, Ukraine’s Ministry of Community and Territorial Development announced on Jan. 21.
The project will be financed with European Union funding under the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) mechanism. A protocol formalizing the agreement was signed to synchronize infrastructure decisions on both sides of the border.
The initiative includes construction of the Suceava–Siret expressway in Romania — part of the A7 motorway — with direct access to the Ukrainian border, as well as modernization of the Ukrainian road segment leading toward the city of Chernivtsi.
“It is fundamentally important for Ukraine that infrastructure decisions on the border are synchronized on both sides,” said Serhiy Derkach, Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development.
“The key to this project is not only the construction of a high-speed road on the Romanian side but also the modernization of Ukrainian access roads to the border. This allows us to eliminate bottlenecks, increase throughput capacity, and transform the border from a barrier into a point of connection.”
According to the ministry, the project includes widening the Ukrainian road section from the border to Chernivtsi to two lanes in each direction, aligning access roads and logistics solutions with the new Suceava–Siret expressway, and preparing infrastructure for increased traffic volumes once construction is completed.
Work has also begun on expanding the Porubne border checkpoint for freight transport. The authorities plan to increase its capacity through reconstruction and the addition of more traffic lanes by the end of 2026.
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