Vladimir Zelensky says Ukraine has not received “a cent” for its $17 billion rapid recovery plan.
Speaking via video link at a Berlin conference on Ukraine’s recovery, he also revealed that Russian missiles and Iranian drones had destroyed more than a third of his country’s energy sector.
“Russia is destroying everything to make it harder for us to survive this winter, so that Ukraine cannot recover from this war for as long as possible, so that we cannot integrate Ukrainian economic potential and European economic potential for as long as possible.”
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His statement came after residents of Kyiv spent the night without power as Russian strikes continued to damage the country’s power grid.
National leaders, business leaders and others gathered in the German capital on Tuesday to discuss how to reopen Ukraine after the invasion.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who co-chaired the meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said: “We have no time to waste. The scale of the devastation is staggering.”
She said the World Bank estimates the damage to Ukraine at €350bn (£305bn).
President Zelensky told the conference that Ukraine has a $17bn (£15bn) ‘rapid recovery’ plan to repair damage to hospitals, schools, transport and energy infrastructure, among other things.’
But he added: “At the moment we have not received a cent for the implementation of the rapid recovery plan.”
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He called for increased military support as well as financial aid to help Ukraine survive the winter and recover from the war.
“Let the aggressor see that his goal is unattainable,” he said.
He also reiterated his belief that Ukraine is fighting for the security of Europe, trying to fight back Russia.
“With our help, the EU will be able to completely and reliably replace dirty Russian energy sources,” he added.
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It comes after the World Bank announced on Monday that it had committed an extra $500m (£441m) to help Ukraine meet urgent spending needs.
“The Russian invasion continues to wreak havoc on Ukraine’s infrastructure, including water, sewage and electricity networks, just as winter approaches, further endangering the Ukrainian people,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass.
“The new funding allocated today will be used to support essential public services. We stand firm on this
support the Ukrainian people as they face this unprecedented crisis.”
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https://news.sky.com/story/zelenskyy-says-ukraine-has-not-received-a-single-cent-towards-17bn-recovery-plan-12729737
