European leaders, businessmen and experts met this Tuesday, October 25, at the 5th German-Ukrainian Economic Forum in Berlin, Germany, one day after the eight month anniversary of the Russian invasion. In a virtual way, the Ukrainian president Volodímir Zelenski assured that Europe is interested in the reconstruction of his country and asked for international help to repair the damage of a war that has not yet ended.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen chaired the meeting with the aim of cementing the reconstruction of Ukraine, which in addition to claiming thousands of lives, has destroyed homes, hospitals and infrastructure. Returning normality to the country will cost 349,000 million dollars, according to World Bank estimates.
“This is not a regular donor conference … This is something deeper … A new Marshall Plan for the 21st century,” Scholz said, comparing the US funding plan for the reconstruction of Europe at the end of World War II .
The German chancellor assured that it is about creating a structure to articulate international support for Ukraine in the “short, medium and long term”, even if the conflict has not yet ended.
The leaders of the European Commission and the group of the G7, together with the director general of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, listened to the opening speeches by Scholz and Von der Leyen, who stressed that “we have no time to lose, the scale of the destruction is unbelievable.”
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal and Finance Minister Serheii Marchenko attended in person on behalf of their country. Other leaders such as the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, and the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, were also part of the Forum.
The European Union promised to give more support to the “future member” of the bloc
European leaders expressed the need to articulate a monthly support of between 3,000 and 5,000 million euros for Ukraine, which would be disbursed to the country from January 2023. A third of the funds would be provided by the European Union (EU).
According to calculations, the EU would be committed to financing 18,000 million euros throughout 2023 for the reconstruction of Ukraine, a fact that was applauded by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“We have to mobilize financial resources within the EU and also have international institutions,” said Scholz, who took the opportunity to emphasize the IMF’s commitment and recall the presence of its director general.
Scholz also said that his interest is that Ukraine be a future member of the EU and recalled that the country has been recognized as a formal candidate for entry by the community bloc.
Zelensky’s speech at the Forum
Through a virtual speech, President Zelensky assured that Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones have destroyed more than a third of the country’s energy infrastructure, putting its population even more at risk. According to the president’s estimates, the reconstruction will cost more than 750,000 million dollars.
“They destroy everything so that it is more difficult for us to survive this winter. So that the Ukrainian economic potential cannot be integrated for as long as possible,” the Ukrainian president said against the Russian actions.
In addition, Zelensky called for “coordination” in the international economic effort and proposed using Russian assets that have been frozen by the West to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine, emphasizing that his country is of great importance to the European continent.
“You all surely know what we have to offer. It is Ukraine that can ensure that Russian revenge cannot break our European home,” he added.
Zelensky emphasized the budget deficit that his country is going through, which he estimated at 38,000 million dollars, for which he asked for urgent help in order to cover the payment of salaries, pensions and expenses for the operation of Ukrainian state structures.
German President visits Ukraine
The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, unexpectedly traveled to kyiv this Tuesday in order to express his solidarity with Ukraine and to analyze first-hand the situation facing the country after Russia’s aggression.
In his first visit since the invasion began, Steinmeier plans to meet with the Ukrainian president and with local representatives from the north of the country from areas that were occupied and later liberated by Russia in order to “understand the shortage difficulties and the real situation.” .
“I am very happy to be in Ukraine today. Russia has been waging a brutal and illegal war of aggression for eight months. For me it is important to send a sign of solidarity to the Ukrainians especially now, in a phase of vile Russian airstrikes all over the country,” he said in a statement released by the German Presidency.
German Federal President #Steinmeier has arrived in Ukraine with a twofold message:
“My message to the people of Ukraine is: You can count on Germany! We will continue to support Ukraine: militarily, politically, financially and in humanitarian regards. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/7J6K9kmOtx
— Cerstin Gammelin (@BPrSprecherin) October 25, 2022
The German president added that the Ukrainians can trust their country, after offering the continuation of military, political, economic and humanitarian support, in addition to asking the international community not to forget the situation that millions of civilians live in that country. .
“If we look for a moment through the eyes of the Ukrainians, we will know that they need all our solidarity and support for as long as it takes,” he added.
The German head of government had canceled his trip that was scheduled for last week due to security recommendations, due to the tense situation after the Russian Army had intensified its attacks.
with EFE
