London, Monday, 4 July 2022
The president of Ukraine declared on Monday that the conflict that Russia started in Ukraine on February 24 had brought his nation together, accelerated reforms, and united Europe and the NATO military alliance.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "We have actualized every fundamental European ideal as a result of this reform, just as the backing of NATO nations suggests that we have united the (NATO) Alliance."
He claimed that because of what was occurring in Ukraine, people had banded together in support of democracy.
The president of Ukraine claimed that thousands of educational institutions, including schools, universities, and kindergartens, had been damaged since the war began.
He claimed that because of what was occurring in Ukraine, people had banded together in support of democracy.
"This togetherness has not been witnessed in hundreds of years," the president continued, "and the rehabilitation of Ukraine will also become our greatest reform."
"The Russian army is deploying artillery against kindergartens... a deliberate destruction of education space, a space where the socialisation of the children takes place when they learn to be human," Zelenskyy said in reference to Russia's attempts to destroy Ukraine.
"Russia's act of aggression against Ukraine has forced us to unite and face up to this war with all the determination that we can muster," said Swiss President Ignazio Cassis in his opening remarks to the conference. "We commit ourselves to support the sorely tested Ukrainian people on the long road to sustainable recovery."
In order to create a plan for the rehabilitation of Ukraine after Russia's full-scale assault started in February, leaders and foreign ministers from at least 38 nations and international organisations gathered in the Swiss town of Lugano on Monday.
Denys Shmyhal, the prime minister of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Liz Truss, the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom, were among those who came in Lugano for the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference under heavy security.
Before meeting with Shmyhal on the shores of Lake Lugano in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, Cassis first met with von der Leyen in the conference room.
"The initial plan for the meeting focused on institutional reforms and the current plan concentrates on reconstruction as a whole," the Swiss president added.
"The first schedule for the annual Ukraine reform conference was on target, and I concur that the reforms that were put in place at the time play a significant role in Ukraine's resilience."
The meeting on Ukraine's reconstruction will be held in the United Kingdom next year, according to Foreign Secretary Truss.
Helping Ukraine's economy recover as quickly as can must be our top priority, according to Truss.
"Our Ukrainian allies can reconstruct Ukraine with our help, not just as it was, but as its young people want it to be," stated Von der Leyen.
As Russian bombs continue to fall, destroying not only schools and hospitals but also countless lives, I am aware that this may sound unduly ambitious. But by now, we're all aware that the courageous Ukrainian people can accomplish anything.
Participating organisations include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The head of the UN delegation was Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Program.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, was present, and Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, was also anticipated.
The Ukraine Reform Conference has been renamed the Ukraine Recovery Conference to reflect the meeting's changed objective, according to the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
(Report by: The Decision Maker – International Relations editors)