Berlin, conference on the recovery of Ukraine

2024-06-11 17:08:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A two-day conference on the recovery of Ukraine started today in Berlin. during which one of the main demands of Ukrainian officials was for more air defense systems. A Ukrainian official estimated that President Joe Biden's decision to allow the use of American weapons inside Russia influenced the slowdown of the Russian offensive near Kharkiv. The Western allies have pledged to continue military aid to Kiev, while they said that the recovery of the war-torn country must also be planned. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that for this, within a decade, 500 billion dollars may be needed. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President said that the most urgent issue is the Ukrainian energy system, half of whose capacity has been destroyed by Russian airstrikes.

The two-day conference on Ukraine's recovery follows a similar meeting held in London a year ago.

The German hosts say they have invited 2,000 people from politics, business and other fields. Berlin says the obligation to support Ukraine's recovery cannot be fulfilled by governments alone.

Continued Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid in recent weeks have forced power companies to frequently cut off supplies across the country.

"One of Putin's main objectives in Ukraine is energy. From the early years of his rule, he has seen the resources, production and consumption of energy as a means to influence and subjugate nations. Europe has experienced this many times. Now, Ukraine is suffering from the most destructive form of Russia's vision using energy as a weapon," President Zelenskyy said during the conference.

He clarified that Russian attacks have destroyed half of Ukraine's energy production capacity.

The conference in Berlin was organized by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who, citing World Bank estimates, said that Ukraine may need 500 billion dollars over a decade for recovery.

"The reconstruction and modernization of the country will require massive investments. The day after tomorrow, President Zelenskyy and I will be together again at the G7 meeting in Italy. There, I will lobby for long-term commitments for Ukraine," said Chancellor Scholz.

Before the G7 meeting, Italy's foreign policy chief announced a new aid package for Ukraine.

"Italy is ready not only for a military aid, but also to help all the different sectors. The second news I have is a new aid of 140 million euros for infrastructure, railways, health and other sectors, including mining," said the Italian chief diplomat, Antonio Tajani, in Berlin.

Washington's Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery, Penny Pritzker, also announced more aid for Ukraine's energy infrastructure. She, however, stressed the need for Ukraine to move forward with reform processes. Kiev hopes that the recovery conference will strengthen its chances to become a member of the European Union in the future.

"Ukraine's leadership must continue to reflect integrity and democratic values. These must signal a break from the Soviet era, into the European and Western era that the Ukrainian people so long for," said the US special envoy to Ukraine, Penny Pritzker.

Beyond discussions about Ukraine's recovery, Ukrainian officials reiterated their demand for more air defense systems. Since Russia launched a spring offensive, President Zelenskyy has insisted that Ukraine urgently needs seven more US Patriot air defense systems.

President Joe Biden in late May approved the use of US weapons to strike targets inside Russia that were being used to attack Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city located near the Russian border.

This decision, according to the mayor of Kharkiv, has helped to ensure a "relative calm" by reducing the number of attacks in this city.

"The situation can be described in different ways, but compared to the month of May, we experienced a more or less calm week until Sunday," said Mr. Terekhov.

President Zelenskyy said that "the biggest strategic advantage that Russia has over Ukraine is its advantage in the sky."

After two days, Mr. Zelenskyy will join the leaders of the seven most developed countries in the world in Puglia, Italy. At the weekend, he participates in an international conference in Switzerland, where efforts will be made for peace in Ukraine. China has refused to participate. Moscow, which was not invited, called the conference "a waste of time"./ VOA