Ukraine’s reconstruction received support and assistance from the United States, Britain, the European Union, Denmark, Norway and other countries

Russia’s 16-month invasion of Ukraine has taken a heavy toll. On Wednesday and Thursday (21 and 22), an international conference on Ukraine’s Recovery, co-hosted by the UK and Ukraine, took place in London.

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken traveled to London from China, where he met with his British and Ukrainian counterparts ahead of a meeting on Ukraine’s recovery. The focus of the meeting was to promote international support for Ukraine’s recovery from Russian aggression.

Blinken said the 50-nation conference is a demonstration of “strong and enduring support for Ukraine, not just militarily, but also economically, and in all our efforts to build the strongest democracy possible.” So we are very happy to be part of it, and we are very happy to see Ukraine and our friends here hosting it.”

Blinken said the United States will continue to support Ukraine. Prime Minister Sunak says Britain will announce $3 billion in bank loan guarantees to support Ukraine as it recovers from Russian aggression. The money will be used to support public services, including schools and hospitals.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Britain has been the second largest military donor to Ukraine after the United States.

Ukraine’s front-line counteroffensive comes as European countries step up financial and military aid to Ukraine.

On June 20, the European Commission proposed to member states to approve a 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine over the next four years for reconstruction and emergency government spending.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference that the financial reserve includes 33 billion euros in loans and 17 billion euros in grants.

The Danish Defense Ministry has agreed to increase military support for Ukraine by announcing another aid package worth $3.2 billion.

Meanwhile, Norway’s foreign Ministry said it would allocate $23 million for nuclear safety and security in Ukraine.

Norway’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “a nuclear accident in Ukraine will have an impact not only on Ukraine itself, but beyond the country’s borders.” Norway is doing its part to strengthen its nuclear safety and security. Repairing the infrastructure of the Chernobyl facility and restoring regulatory control will be several key priorities.”

In addition, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will also attend the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference and announce a plan to jointly support Ukraine’s reconstruction in areas such as mine clearance and infrastructure construction.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected the meeting to consolidate recovery efforts. Recovery, he added, “should show the world that freedom cannot be defeated.”

Ukraine’s reconstruction cost $411 billion
The latest joint assessment report released by the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Commission and the Ukrainian government on March 23 this year shows that the cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine has risen to $411 billion (about 2.8 trillion yuan) and will require public and private funding for more than 10 years.

According to the report, the direct damage caused by the conflict to buildings and infrastructure in Ukraine is more than $135 billion. Compared to the first assessment released in September 2022, the energy, housing and transport sectors suffered the largest increases in direct losses. Losses in the agricultural sector have also risen significantly.