Dear colleagues, fellow Ukrainians!
In the fight for our future, we constantly feel the effective support of our partners. This week is marked by historic decisions of the Council of Europe. At the Reykjavik Summit, with the participation of the Ukrainian government delegation, the first step was taken to establish an International Compensation Mechanism. An agreement was signed on the establishment of an international register of Ukraine’s damages caused by russian aggression.
We appreciate the efforts of the Council of Europe member states that demonstrate leadership. Next, we will work together to establish a Compensation Commission and a Compensation Fund, which will be filled with confiscated russian assets. russia will definitely pay for all the stolen and destroyed property of Ukrainians, for the damages to the economy, for the lives lost.
russia will also pay for all its crimes. The Council of Europe supports the establishment of an international Special Tribunal on the leadership of the russian federation. Those responsible for the aggression and genocide, from putin to every war criminal, will be put on trial. This guarantees justice and sustainable peace for Europe and the world.
Financial support for Ukraine is unwavering. Yesterday, the EBRD Board of Governors adopted a resolution launching the capital increase. It will amount to approximately EUR 3-5 billion. These are funds for macro-financial assistance to our country and for reconstruction. This is only the third time in its 30-year history that the EBRD shareholders have taken such a step. We thank the Bank for its determination, reliability and consistency.
Today we are making a number of decisions to attract additional financial resources.
First of all, we agree to Ukraine’s participation in the European Connecting Europe Facility. This is a way to get EU funding for the development of modern transport, energy and digital infrastructure. The total budget of the programme until 2027 is almost EUR 21 billion.
We have decided to raise a loan of USD 500 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a grant of USD 1.2 billion. This is part of a major cooperation project totalling USD 16.4 billion plus EUR 1.4 billion. The funds will be used to pay salaries, pensions, social assistance and healthcare.
We are also approving an agreement to raise a loan of USD 1.5 billion under the guarantees of the Government of Japan as part of a project to support development and recovery policies. These funds will be used to strengthen social protection and restore Ukraine.
Recovery is already underway. The eVidnovlennia programme has been running for more than a week. It is a programme to pay for the repair of housing damaged during the war. The programme is digitalised, its algorithm is simple and straightforward. Almost 11,700 applications have already been submitted, most of them from residents of Kharkiv, Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions.
The Government has already allocated the first resources for the implementation of this programme – UAH 4.4 billion from the Fund for Elimination of Consequences of Armed Aggression.
In total, the Government has already collected about UAH 62 billion from the Fund!
Almost half of it is the seized russian funds. The priority expenditures of the Fund are repairs of housing, critical infrastructure, and pilot recovery projects.
We are preparing for the next stage of compensation for the destroyed housing that cannot be repaired. We are regulating the work of commissions that will determine the grounds for compensation and issue housing certificates for the purchase of real estate. They will be set up in local governments. The members of the commissions must know their powers and carry out their duties clearly. In this way, people will receive compensation quickly and without unnecessary bureaucracy.
One of the priorities for recovery is energy. We are already preparing for the next winter.
Intensive repairs of power grids and energy facilities are underway. We are not only repairing, but also modernising. Our goal is to protect ourselves from russian attacks. russia will not give up terrorism, but we can minimise its consequences. To do this, we are gathering assistance from our partners, stockpiling repair equipment and decentralising the system with the help of small-scale generation facilities. We are getting stronger every day.
Today, we will approve a plan to prepare for the autumn-winter period and a decision to set up a headquarters to prepare housing and utilities and the fuel and energy sector for the next winter.
We are also establishing an algorithm for the procedures to start repairing power facilities. It involves the interaction of critical infrastructure operators, ministries, the Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development and the regional military administrations. Everything should be done quickly in order to ensure that we are in time for the next autumn and winter period.
Together, we are moving towards the set priorities and goals. Each success is a part of our great victory.
Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine!