06:40: The United States wants to accelerate the reconstruction of Ukraine
The reconstruction of Ukraine cannot wait for the end of the conflict and must begin now, Penny Pritzker, United States special representative for the economic reconstruction of Ukraine, argued in Brussels on Wednesday.
“The long-term effort to revive Ukraine’s economy must happen now, must start now, even in the midst of an ongoing war and fighting,” she told reporters. The cost of this reconstruction will be “substantial”, further assured this former Minister of Commerce under Barack Obama, hence the need, she underlined, to mobilize the private sector. The World Bank has estimated that Ukraine will need more than $400 billion to rebuild.