Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for international aid to rebuild his country on Saturday evening, given the massive destruction it has suffered in four months of the war.
In his evening address, Zelenskyy said 2,610 towns and villages were “under Russian occupation”, noting, however, that since the start of the war on 24 February, Ukraine’s army had managed to liberate 1,027 of them.
“Hundreds have been completely destroyed by the Russian army, and need to be totally rebuilt,” the Ukrainian president said.
“It is not only necessary to rebuild everything the occupiers have destroyed but also to lay new foundations for our life, for a safe, modern Ukraine,” he added, conscious of the “huge investments” and reforms needed.
The Ukrainian President also recalled that the war was far from over. “The brutality is increasing in certain places,” he stressed.
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The reconstruction of his country will be at the centre of the Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Lugano, Switzerland, on Monday and Tuesday.
According to information the Swiss Foreign Ministry has posted on its website, the conference, which is co-organised by Switzerland and Ukraine, is expected to attract international delegations as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society.