Zelenskyy calls on American business to engage in rebuilding Ukraine after war

He made the statements in an address to the participants of the meeting of the National Association of State Chambers of Commerce (NASC).

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainians defend not only the independence of their state and not only the international order.

"Here in Ukraine, we are defending everything that made you, in particular, who you are. We are defending freedom and property; everyone’s right to have their dream and everyone’s duty to live according to the law; the right of every family to stay safe and the happiness of every family to be part of their community," he said, adding that all of this "can only be won."

At the same time, the Ukrainian president emphasized that the country needs the support of its partners on the way to victory and, consequently, in the reconstruction of what was destroyed by Russian forces.

"And – when we'll be able to end this war by throwing out the occupiers – in the same manner together we'll be able to start the difficult work of rebuilding Ukraine – our cities, our economy, our infrastructure. It is already clear that this will be the largest economic project of our time in Europe. It is obvious that American business can become the locomotive that will once again push forward global economic growth," he added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded that Ukraine is already cooperating with the giants of the international financial and investment world, such as BlackRock, J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, Starlink and Westinghouse.

He also cited examples of military cooperation. "Your brilliant defense systems – such as HIMARS or Bradleys – are already uniting our history of freedom with your enterprises. We are waiting for the Patriots. We are looking closely at Abrams," Zelenskyy said.

"Thousands of such examples are possible! And everyone can become a big business by working with Ukraine. In all sectors – from weapons and defense to construction, from communications to agriculture, from transport to IT, from banks to medicine. I believe that freedom must always win. And, I invite you to work with us right now," the president summarized.

• On December 16, 2022, the World Bank announced that it had established a Trust Fund to support the government and further recovery of Ukraine, with a total initial contribution of USD 250 million.