The War Between Russia and Ukraine: Live Updates

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For Ukrainians living in the shadow of war, the cost of the conflict is difficult to measure: thousands of people have died, countless homes and buildings have been destroyed by missiles, families have been displaced and livelihoods have been lost. But international leaders are meeting in the Swiss lakeside city of Lugano for Tuesday’s second day trying to do just that.

Leaders, with aid organizations and financial institutions, are charting the massive effort needed to rebuild war-ravaged Ukraine.

The nearly five-month war devastated vital infrastructure — factories, airports, train stations — and destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, churches and shopping malls. The bombs are still falling. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal told attendees in Lugano on Monday that the cost of reconstruction Estimated at $750 billion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned the conference that the task of rebuilding the country would be “huge”. Via the video link, he said the indiscriminate Russian bombings were not only an attempt to destroy Ukraine, but also destroy the vision of democracy and Europe, making the war “not just our war, not just local.”

“This is Russia’s attack on everything of value to you and me,” he added. “That is why the reconstruction of Ukraine is not a domestic project, not a project of one state, but a common task of the entire democratic world.”

Repeat that message In his late night speech to Ukraine.

Whatever the cost, Ukraine’s international allies will face an uphill battle to help rebuild a former Soviet state with a culture of endemic corruption and fragile democratic institutions. Transparency International, an anti-corruption watchdog, ranked Ukraine 117th out of 180 countries on the corruption index in 2020.

Meanwhile, as Ukraine welcomes more aid promises, many Western countries and their populations are suffering from war fatigue amid soaring inflation and food and gas prices. It remains to be seen how far countries will be willing to go to help Ukraine when the war is finally over.

Earlier this year, donor pledges to Afghanistan and Yemen fell far short of United Nations targets. In Afghanistan, where Taliban policies have hampered aid efforts, the United Nations has said: $4.4 billion was needed this year In humanitarian aid alone, $2.4 billion was raised. of the $4.3 billion needed for Yemen, $1.3 billion has been contributed.

Mr. Zelensky sent Mr. Schmihal and other members of his government to Lugano, a picturesque lakeside town, for two days of talking with a team of international batters. Also in attendance were European Union CEO Ursula von der Leyen, who described Ukraine’s reconstruction as “important for generations”, and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, along with senior officials from Europe, North America and Asia. and representatives of major international financial institutions.

The meeting was planned long before the war as one of a series of conferences aimed at tackling corruption in Ukraine. But after Russia began its invasion on February 24, the focus shifted to recovery. Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, addressed the Lugano conference via video link on Monday and announced a new meeting of first ladies and gentlemen from around the world on July 23. The first summit of the group last year In the capital Kiev.

“Any discussion about Ukraine’s post-war recovery is meaningless if they don’t prioritize restoring people’s moral and physical health,” Ms Zelenska said. in the title on Monday.

Issues of governance and corruption are still being discussed at the meeting in Lugano, which have regained importance in recent weeks: when the European Union accepted Ukraine as a candidate for full membership last month, it said that progress on corruption and the rule of law is needed to advance implementation.

But even before the conference started, a number of countries seemed willing to pledge financial support.

Britain said it would provide more than $1 billion in World Bank loans and financial aid and would guarantee the World Bank loans for an additional half a billion dollars, along with immediate support for the removal of landmines and the rebuild Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Vivek Shankar Contribute to the preparation of reports.