WAR IN UKRAINE: June 22, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 484
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a press conference today at the Ukraine Recovery Conference
The two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference is underway in London, with over 1,000 delegates from more than 60 countries discussing reconstruction and how it can be funded. The bill could ultimately be north of $1-trillion, especially after Russia’s sabotage of the dam at the Kakhovka HPP
To date, the following major pledges have been made at the Ukraine Recovery Conference: European Union: $60-billion. US: an additional $1.3-billion in near term aid; UK: $3-billion in World Bank loans and GBP240-million in bilateral assistance. About 500 global firms from 42 countries with a value of $5-trillion have pledged support, UK Foreign Secretary James Celeverly said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said he expects to secure almost $7 billion in aid for reconstruction, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv needs concrete commitments for projects that will help post-war development and further modernization. Shmyhal said that the war meant Kyiv faces the largest reconstruction project in Europe since World War II. He said the price tag for reconstruction would be more than $6 billion over the next 12 months, then later on Telegram he said he expects to secure almost $7 billion. "The key objective is to mobilize resources to finance rapid recovery," he said - RFE/RL
Shmyhal said this morning at a news conference that topping immediate recovery needs are: energy, de-mining, housing, critical infrastructure and economic support for small and medium-sized businesses.
Shmyhal summed up the conference in the final plenary: Ukraine will become a member of the European Union, Shmyhal said. “We are implementing reforms in line with the EU regulations.” He added everybody supported the idea that everyone must pay for their crimes.” Business must be an inherent part of Ukraine’s recovery. Ukraine recovery will bering benefits to Ukraine’s partners and allies (i.e. a significant boost to the European economy).
The UK, described as the biggest laundromat of ill-gotten Russian wealth, is said to have frozen $22 billion in Russian assets and is considering seizing them. One UK official said there are discussions about negotiating with some of the wealthy Russian individuals who have been sanctioned - adding that some of them may no longer be interested in staying in Russia and supporting Mr. Putin.
Many, many media colleagues have been complaining of the strict security measures put in place for journalists by UK hosts. It is probably one of the reasons why the media center is only half full today. Mingling with delegates is prohibited unless one has an escort, so the spontaneous discussions that normally occur are not happening. The draconian measures stifle reporting.
‘Build back better’ - a phrase first used in the South Asian tsunami recovery efforts - is the main buzz word at the Ukraine Recovery Conference. It was used at least 3 or 4 times by a UK minister this morning.
During the morning press conference today, I asked Shmyhal to comment on stinging remarks broadcast widely yesterday by Kyiv Mayir Vitaliy Klychko. In the video, a visibly upset Klychko slammed unnamed authorities in Ukraine for launching “a stormy campaign to discredit the capital authorities and me personally.” He cited “endless searches that paralyze the work of city departments and services, In wartime, they bring chaos to the management of the capital. Enterprises of critical infrastructure are not allowed to work properly.” He said everyone should have one goal - to expel Russians from Ukrainian soil.” The video statement was posted across all of his social media platforms and picked up by some Ukrainian media came on the first day of the URC. Klychko, who is extremely popular inside and outside Ukraine and who is said to be in a feud with President Zelensky, must have realized he is taking the swipe while the spotlight is on Ukraine. Until now, opposing parties in Ukraine had promised to bury and differences and portray unity - something which now seems to have been breached. In response to my question, Shmyhal avoided referring to Klychko by name, saying: “We are fighting for our lives and values; we are all united.”
Elsewhere….
A key bridge connecting Russian-annexed Crimea with the occupied part of Ukraine's southern region of Kherson was damaged after being hit by what a Moscow-appointed official said were Storm Shadow missiles fired by Ukrainian forces. Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-installed chief of Crimea said on his Telegram channel that the strike early on June 22 was carried out on the bridge in the Chongar region, also known as "the gate to Crimea," one of a few vital links connecting Crimea with the rest of Ukraine. The attack came as Russian forces struck civilian and infrastructure targets with a fresh wave of missiles and drones overnight. Saldo said the road on the bridge was damaged but no one was injured, while alternative transport routes had been opened. Separately, Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed head of Crimea, said specialized services were assessing the damage caused to the bridges. The Telegram channel of the Ukrainian military published photos of the damaged bridge, while the spokesman for Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, Andriy Yusov, referring to the attack on the bridge, told Ukrainian television, "The work [to push Russia out of Crimea] is under way and it will continue” - RFE/RL
Russian forces struck civilian and infrastructure targets with a fresh wave of missiles and drones overnight, the Ukrainian military said in its early morning update on June 22, adding that fierce battles were under way in the eastern region of Donetsk, where Russia was intensifying its attacks.