Le pont de Crimée est une « cible » qui doit être « neutralisée », selon Volodymyr Zelensky

Question: I have a question for both presidents. You have already discussed cultivating cooperation in the transport sector and simplifying migration processes, specifically at your meetings in Glukhov and Bryansk. After today’s talks, what can you say about specific projects that may help resolve these challenges, and in particular, what do you think about building a bridge across the Kerch Strait, the project that was demonstrated to you today? When might it be built?

Dmitry Medvedev: Indeed our challenge today is to transfer our very good intentions and the wonderful words that we have been saying to each other lately – which, in and of itself, is pleasant – into practical deeds.

Practical deeds mean serious projects in infrastructure. Our countries are so closely tied, and our turnover and traffic flow are so massive, that no cooperation will progress without infrastructure projects. Today, we discussed a number of projects of this kind. One of them – incidentally, not the only one, but a very important, large and beautiful one – is the project of building this bridge, as well as communications between Russia and Ukraine overall.

We agreed as follows. First of all, we agreed that in order for people to feel instantaneous improvement, we will intensify expansion of ferry services and try to bring in a greater number of ferries that have the appropriate features, so that people are not spending 15 or 20 hours in line. This is what’s most important – to move in these kinds of directions.

As for the bridge project, it is a major, technically sophisticated project, whose technological aspects demand very close analysis. We have agreed to set a special group that is to estimate what must be done and draft a technical assignment, to assess the depths at which underwater works will be performed, as this is not a matter of merely water depth, there is also a very thick silt layer to be penetrated for the bridge foundation to be laid properly. The group will certainly draft a respective design, but that, too, requires money, hence we have agreed to select several banks to finance it. The design stage will take no less than a year, because it is a serious project, and then, we will quickly get it implemented. Mr Yanukovych said it best: “It would be great to get it done in time for the football world championship, but clearly, this is unrealistic, so it would at least be good to have it in time for the Olympics in Sochi”. These are the goals we have in mind. This truly is a major, very important and valuable project, and we want to make sure it is accomplished.