Ukraine and its European allies are seeking to boost investment in the country's post-war recovery. The first tranche of an EU loan has arrived, with more deals on the table. However, relations with Poland remain strained.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Thursday at the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk that the country expects to sign over 160 defense, business, and regional development agreements worth more than €10 billion.
"The challenges facing our continent are existential," she said at the opening. "We're forced to survive. This has become our superpower."
The Ukrainian Finance Ministry confirmed receipt of the first €3.2 billion tranche of a €90 billion EU loan, intended for defense, security, and energy resilience.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU's financial commitment, stating a second €6 billion tranche for drone production would follow "in the coming days."
Svyrydenko attended the conference in place of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stayed away to reduce tensions with Poland over World War II atrocities.
Last week, Polish nationalist President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle after Zelenskyy named a special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which was involved in the Volhynia massacres of 1943-1945, killing around 100,000 Poles.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sought to ease tensions, saying, "We can build the future only on truth, on mutual respect, on an understanding of history."
Svyrydenko thanked Poland for hosting over one million Ukrainian refugees since February 2022.
Despite polls showing nearly 60% of Poles oppose Ukraine's EU accession, Kyiv officially began membership negotiations on June 15.
Rebuilding Ukraine's economy is estimated to cost $588 billion over the next decade. Von der Leyen announced an investment fund backed by the EU, France, Germany, and Poland, potentially mobilizing €500 million this year.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said public funding alone is insufficient and announced an initial €220 million package to kick-start the fund.
On the battlefield, Ukraine continues to strike Russian oil and gas facilities. Zelenskyy claimed drones hit refineries in Ufa and an oil depot in Krasnodar. Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing 269 drones.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces are slowly advancing toward full control of Donbas, but Ukrainian troops have recaptured small areas.
Source: www.dw.com