Zelenskiy, Scholz share smile at Ukraine Recovery Conference
Reuters Videos
STORY: ::Zelenskiy and Scholz share a smile as leaders arrive in Berlin for the Ukraine Recovery Conference ::June 11, 2024 ::Berlin, Germany ::Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister "Today is an important day, not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe. Here at the Recovery Conference today we are making clear that we are not only united against the Russian attack on Ukraine but that we are paving the way together for Ukraine's entry into the EU. Putin wants to destroy the lifeblood of Ukraine with his brutal war." :: Robert Habeck, German Economic Minister "A lot of defense industry is also here gathering to support Ukraine and we have production hubs also from Germany companies in Ukraine. Money is given and guarantees are given and as we are speaking energy consortiums are going through the power plants in Germany looking at how we can do more to provide Ukraine with a stable energy system. So this is hands on the ground and doing something: a very hands on conference and I hope the support will reach Ukraine soon." Kyiv hopes the recovery conference will cement its credentials as a future member of the European Union that is worthy of huge injections of reconstruction financing even as Russian forces continue to make slow advances in Ukraine's east. It comes days before Switzerland hosts an international conference to find a path to peace in Ukraine but which has been shunned by China and dismissed as a waste of time by Russia, which was not invited to attend. Kyiv says its energy system particularly is in urgent need of support as a Russian airstrike campaign that began in March has inflicted heavy damage to power generating capacity, causing scheduled blackouts in the capital and across the country.
3 hours ago
