More than 60 countries expected to attend second international conference on Ukraine's reconstruction
Officials from more than 60 countries and hundreds of leaders of major global companies are expected in London next week for the second international conference on Ukraine's reconstruction, the British government announced Saturday, AFP reports.
"Rebuilding Ukraine's economy is as important as its military strategy," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to say at the opening of the event, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski will speak by video conference.
"Ukraine's courage on the battlefield must go hand in hand with the vision of the private sector to help the country rebuild and recover," the British leader, an early supporter of Kiev, is expected to say," according to a Downing Street statement.
The reconstruction conference, which will be attended by NGOs, is the second since the war began, following one held last year in Lugano, Switzerland.
Political leaders expected to attend include European commission president Ursula von der Leyen, US secretary of state Antony Blinken and French diplomatic chief Catherine Colonna.
More than a year after the war began, the World Bank has estimated Ukraine's immediate needs at $14bn to repair the damage caused by the fighting.
But it will cost $441bn to recover the country's economy, according to a recent study by the World Bank, the UN, the European Union and the Ukrainian government. A sum that is set to rise as the conflict continues.
The stakes of this event are also to mobilise the private sector along with major international financial institutions.
