Ukraine, EU will be able to quickly rebuild country after war - Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is confident that Ukraine and the European Union together will be able to quickly rebuild the country after this war.

He said this at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv on Saturday, June 11, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We are coordinating our steps in this direction in order to synchronize our internal plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine and the European reconstruction platform for our state. I believe that together with the European Commission and European countries we will be able to create all conditions for the implementation of the most ambitious economic project of our time, namely the full and rapid recovery of Ukraine after this tragedy, after this war," Zelensky said.

He thanked von der Leyen for the European Commission's proposal for a new program of assistance to Ukraine worth EUR 9 billion and for efforts to prepare for the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war.

Zelensky noted that the decision to abolish tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian exports to the European Union has already come into force. He also thanked for organizing "green corridors" to promote exports from Ukraine.

"We have already started negotiations in the field of transport to conclude an agreement on the liberalization of road freight transport. In the field of energy, the synchronization of our energy network with the European one has reached a new level. From now on, significant exports of our electricity to the countries of the European Union are possible. All this and many other lines of our cooperation are strengthening both Ukraine and our neighbors in the EU, and, I believe, they are strengthening the entire European Union," Zelensky stressed.

Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to meet with Zelensky and discuss Ukraine's progress towards EU membership.