EU chief Ursula von der Leyen calls rebuilding war-ravaged Ukraine a 'generational task'

On July 4, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Ukraine Recovery Conference that rebuilding the war-torn country is a "Generational Task." The EU chief went on to say that external reconstruction advice from the brightest minds and leading global experts is essential, so she and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will organise a high-level conference with international partners after the summer.

She stated, "Rebuilding Ukraine is a generational task. We must bring in also external advice from the brightest minds and leading global experts on reconstruction: Together with international partners, Olaf Scholz and I will organise a high-level conference after the summer."

The European Union will establish a reconstruction platform to coordinate Ukraine's reconstruction following its war with Russia. Von der Leyen stated at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, that the platform will be used to map investment needs, coordinate action, and channel resources. 

"Since the beginning of the war, the European Union has mobilized around €6.2 billion in financial support. We will engage substantially in the mid and long-term reconstruction,' the EU chie said.

The platform will unite nations, organisations, businesses, and civil society. International organisations such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank will also be represented. Furthermore, the EU has been working closely with Ukraine for a long time, and this work will only intensify now that Ukraine has formally become a candidate to join the EU, Ursula von der Leyen said.

Rebuilding Ukraine is the 'common task of the whole democratic world': Zelenskyy

Ursula von der Leyen went on to say that Europe has a special responsibility and a strategic interest in being on Ukraine's side. Ukraine's reconstruction is the "common task of the whole democratic world," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on July 4, insisting that his war-torn country's recovery will benefit global peace.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Russian troops on "liberating" the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk on July 4, marking an important milestone in Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine. After abandoning its initial goal of capturing Kyiv in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance, Russia has focused its efforts on gaining complete control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

(Image: @vonderleyen/Twitter)