kyiv’s western allies pledged on Wednesday to increase financial aid to Ukraine’s economy, but warned Russia that it would ultimately have to pay for reconstruction. While Ukraine recognizes that its counter-offensive, which is coming up against strong resistance from the Russian army, is not going as quickly as hoped, a reconstruction conference brings together more than 60 countries for two days in London, international institutions and the private sector.
The recovery of the Ukrainian economy was valued at $411 billion in a recent study by the World Bank, the UN, the European Union and the Ukrainian government. A sum expected to grow as the conflict continues.
Kiev estimates the environmental damage at 1.5 billion dollars, not counting “losses concerning agriculture, infrastructure, housing or the cost of rebuilding the plant itself”, said Prime Minister Denys Chmygal.
Bridge between annexed Crimea and Ukraine damaged by Ukrainian strike
A bridge linking annexed Crimea and a region of southern Ukraine partially occupied by Russian forces was damaged by a Ukrainian strike, local Russian authorities said on Thursday (June 22).
“During the night, a strike hit the Changar bridge. There were no casualties,” said the Russian governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, adding that the damage was being assessed. This bridge connects Crimea annexed by Moscow in 2014 to an area of the Ukrainian region of Kherson occupied by Russian forces.
Prigojine accuses the military hierarchy of “deceiving the Russian people”
The leader of the paramilitary group Wagner, Evguéni Prigojine, accused the Russian military hierarchy on Wednesday June 21 of “hiding” the difficulties encountered by his army in the face of the Ukrainian counter-offensive started in early June, which has obtained modest gains at this stage.
“The enemy is occupying Piatykhaty, northern Robotyne, and Urozhaine, which means that large swaths of territory have been lost (to) the enemy,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio recording posted on Telegram. After a few weeks of counter-offensive by Kiev troops, “(this one) is causing serious losses and problems on our side that are being suppressed, which the Russians do not know about”, he denounced, pointing to the military hierarchy with whom he has been in open conflict for several months.
“All this is completely hidden from everyone. One day Russia will wake up and realize that Crimea is Ukrainian. This is a direct betrayal of the interests of the Russian Federation,” Wagner’s leader slammed. “All that the command of the ‘special military operation’ is doing today is hiding the facts to make good reports to Moscow” and “deceiving the Russian people”, again mocked the businessman whose men Wagner fought in the front line, especially in eastern Ukraine, at the cost of heavy losses.
kyiv has reported at this stage eight localities taken back from the hands of the Russians, while Moscow is content to say that its army tirelessly repels all Ukrainian attacks.
The EBRD and Ukraine mobilize 600 million euros
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced on Wednesday that it was “joining forces” with the Ukrainian government to mobilize 600 million euros in loans and grants from international donors for the country’s energy security.
The Berd “signed today (Wednesday) three memorandums of understanding with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal”, with the key 200 million euros for the national operator Ukrenergo, the same sum for the gas company Naftogaz and an identical envelope for the hydroelectric energy supplier Ukrhydroenergo, according to a press release.
On the front line after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River, Ukrhydroenergo will benefit from 50 million euros in cash to support the solidity of the company and 150 million euros to “rehabilitate two hydroelectric power stations close to the plant Zaporijjia nuclear power plant”, specifies the EBRD in its press release.
The financing dedicated to Ukrenergo is added to “a total of 520 million euros already provided by the EBRD since the Russian invasion”, while the company, whose infrastructure was heavily bombarded all winter , “is key to the development of Ukraine’s renewable energy sector, which is vital to supporting the country’s energy independence.” The funding to Naftogaz will help the gas company replenish its strategic reserves, after last year’s €500 million backing consisting of an EBRD loan and donor support.
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the EBRD has committed to deploying 3 billion euros in 2022 and 2023 in the country, of which 1.7 billion were last year, mainly in the field of energy. and transport.
A demining of Ukraine comparable to that of Europe in 1945
Demining Ukraine will require a large-scale operation comparable to that set up in Europe after World War II to remove explosive devices, the UN said on Wednesday. It will take some 300 million dollars (274 million euros) a year for five years to clear Ukrainian territory, assured Paul Heslop, program manager of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).
“We have to face in Ukraine a situation similar to that of Europe at the end of the Second World War”, argued Paul Heslop during a press conference in Geneva, recalling that it had taken 15 years to the continent to overcome the problem posed by explosive devices.
The UN is working on a demining program for Ukraine that could enable the country to revive its economy. “We can, over the next three to five years, address 75 to 80% of the problem at the root of the economic difficulties”, explained Paul Heslop To do this, “we would really need a commitment from the community international to the tune of 200/300 million per year over the next five years,” he said.
Grain agreement: kyiv “not very optimistic” about renewal
Kiev is “not very optimistic” about a renewal of the international agreement on the export of its cereals, which expires in July, said Wednesday the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the reconstruction of the country, Oleksandr Kubrakov. “We are not very optimistic this time,” he said during a press briefing on the sidelines of the international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in London.
According to the Minister, Ukraine has recently exported more agricultural products from some of its ports than through the corridor established by this agreement, concluded in July 2022 under the sponsorship of the United Nations and Turkey. “The efficiency of the corridor has gone down,” he noted.
After new complicated negotiations with Moscow, the international agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals has been extended until July 18th. But last week, Russia again threatened to withdraw from this initiative, considering that certain clauses were not respected.
EU accession negotiations: Kyiv’s real but still insufficient progress
The European Commission estimated Wednesday, in an interim assessment, that Ukraine had made progress to be able to start accession negotiations with the EU but stressed that several criteria were not yet met, according to diplomatic sources.
According to the oral report presented in Brussels to the ambassadors of the 27 member countries by the Commissioner for Enlargement, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, Ukraine has fulfilled two of the seven conditions imposed by the EU to launch accession negotiations. “Two are met and five are at some level of progress,” one diplomat summed up.
The EU granted Ukraine candidate status in a highly symbolic gesture in June 2022, following Russia’s invasion. The Commission has set seven benchmarks for Kyiv as conditions for starting accession negotiations, including strengthening the fight against widespread corruption and judicial reforms.