The meeting was chaired by Andrii Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. This time, the focus was on the territorial communities of the Kyiv region. The participants have already discussed urgent issues of life, recovery and post-war reconstruction in Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak stressed that the reconstruction of all war-affected regions is a key element of Ukraine’s recovery. He noted the role of partner countries that provide significant assistance to our country in various areas. “In addition to infrastructure reconstruction, we are talking about a decisive reform of many systems, elements and “settings” in our country. In a sense, we are talking about rebuilding Ukraine in line with the standards of the EU and NATO, of which we will certainly become members in the foreseeable future. This includes a market economy, security, democratic mechanisms, finding a new balance of checks and balances, the rule of law, social justice, openness to advanced ideas and practices, and much more,” said Andrii Yermak.
In addition to representatives of central authorities, territorial communities and the diplomatic corps, the meeting was joined by the US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, Penny Pritzker.
“Such a format of joint work, direct communication and substantive discussion of the main problems of the regions affected by the russian invasion, makes it possible to find concrete solutions to overcome them,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
At the same time, Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that these problems include the reconstruction of destroyed housing, restoration of infrastructure, demining and creation of a safe environment for people to live in, full provision of social services and support for local businesses.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine stressed that Ukraine appreciates the trust it receives from its partners, because “transparency and openness are the best form of proving the correctness of the approach and views related to the reconstruction of the country”.
He also noted that it was very important that the meeting was focused on the Kyiv region, as it was this region that made it possible to save Kyiv in the early days of the war. “It is thanks to the courage, resilience and resistance of the Kyiv region that we have the opportunity to be in Kyiv,” stressed Ruslan Stefanchuk, adding that the common task is to do everything to rebuild and restore both the Kyiv region and other regions that have suffered destruction from this terrible war.
“Our duty today is to find the resources and opportunities necessary for the full recovery of the region,” the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine stressed.
For her part, the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker stressed that, in her opinion, local and state governments are laboratories of innovation and entrepreneurship. “This is true for Ukraine as well, because your country is going through a real nationwide recovery. One road, one port, one construction project – all of this is happening one after the other. It is hard, but it is a reality, and it is worth it,” she said.
