Path to Ukraine’s recovery starts with air defense systems - Kuleba

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, divided the long-term needs for the country’s recovery into five steps: air defense, investments, macro-financial support, EU membership, and frozen Russian assets.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy said this in Berlin during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He emphasized that Ukraine’s short-term needs, which is the support for the energy system ahead of winter. At the same time, in the long-term perspective, there are five steps that should not be postponed.

The path to recovery starts with air defense, the minister believes, because the less damage, the easier it is to rebuild. In this regard, he called on partners to follow Germany’s suit by donating additional air defense systems to Ukraine as soon as possible.

The minister said the investment is second step, calling on businesses not to wait until the war ends and start exploring projects communities that are in need, businesses ready to cooperate, as well as run feasibility studies and develop a business plan to be ready to invest at any time.

Next, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy listed the macro-financial support for Ukraine by other governments and the European Commission, as well as membership in the European Union, as a very effective tool for recovery.

The fifth step is using Russian frozen assets. The minister called on partners to be ambitious, brave, and find a solution so that Russia pays the cost of devastation with real money.

Kuleba noted that Ukraine and its partners are making progress on each of these paths, but things should be done faster.

As reported, tge international Ukraine Recovery Conference on the restoration is taking place in Berlin, where leaders of several European countries, heads of foreign ministries, business and industry leaders are taking part. President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the participants of the event.

Opening the Conference, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that in the near future, Germany would deliver to Ukraine additional air defense capabilities, and expressed hope that other nations would join the German initiative.