In Davos, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in a panel session of the International Advisory Council for Ukraine's Recovery. Representatives of international business, financial institutions, and energy companies attended the event.
The Head of State thanked participants for their attention to Ukraine and for their support, which is especially important now, as Russia – through such strikes – seeks to destroy both people and cities by the cold. The President stressed that everything must now work toward Ukraine’s resilience and the strength of the people of Ukraine.
“We must be realistic and implement specific things now that people can actually feel. We will work productively with everyone who stands with Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
One of the main topics of discussion was ways to help overcome challenges in the energy sector caused by Russian shelling. The meeting also addressed increasing investment in projects in Ukraine after a dignified peace is achieved. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced this will become possible as soon as Ukraine receives robust security guarantees.
“Security guarantees for our people are extremely important. But they are also essential for investment and for business – for everyone. And that is a good thing. We are now at a point where we understand this, Europeans understand it, and Americans understand it as well: we all need security guarantees, first and foremost from America, and then from Europe. I hope we will be able to finalize the reconstruction package, the prosperity package that our teams are currently working on,” the President said.
The participants also discussed how business operates in Ukraine amid the full-scale war. The Head of State noted that despite the war, domestic businesses continue to operate and grow – and, most importantly, to implement modern technologies and innovations.
Participants included European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis, President of the World Bank Ajay Banga, United Nations Development Program Administrator Alexander De Croo, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock Larry Fink, as well as founders and executives of the following companies: Fortescue (Australia), Vestas (Denmark), Schneider Electric (France), Siemens Energy (Germany), TenneT (Netherlands), Equinor (Norway), Sonae (Portugal), Vattenfall (Sweden), ABB (Switzerland), Koç Holding (Türkiye), Bank of America (United Kingdom), Arup Group (United Kingdom), Henry Schein (United States), AES (United States), Bunge Global (United States), Citi (United States), and Goldman Sachs.
