Ukraine is discussing cooperation and investment in the electric car market with Japanese automobile giants.

Ambassador of Ukraine to Japan Serhiy Korsunskyi said: “We visited the Nissan plant, where electric cars are assembled, and spoke with the management about what needs to be done so that such manufacturers come to Ukraine.”

He noted that Ukraine has one of the largest lithium reserves in Europe, but there is no production of lithium batteries.

“Our idea is for companies like Nissan to come and invest in Ukraine. Use our lithium, produce batteries, and assemble electric cars,” the ambassador said.

He added that he has also spoken with Toyota, and there is interest from Honda.

“We would like to see production of goods with high added value created in Ukraine. Not isolated lithium extraction, sale of raw materials, or just car batteries. An important product is a car,” concluded Korsunskyi.

Ukraine has 1% of the world’s lithium reserves, or a third of Europe’s reserves, which is a critical component in the production of batteries.