Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko held a meeting with Special Representative of the Federal Government of Germany on issues of reforms in the spheres of governance and decentralization in Ukraine Georg Milbradt.
The interlocutors discussed the role of local authorities in protecting the country from Russian armed aggression, ensuring the resilience of Ukraine and the participation of communities in the reconstruction process.
"From the first days of the war, all communities, mayors of cities and towns forgot about politics, became a single team and work to protect Ukraine from the Russian invasion. We all work together: local government, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Office of the President. And this benefits the country," Kyrylo Tymoshenko said.
According to him, the central and local authorities have been in constant communication since the first days of the full-scale war, solving all urgent issues, including those arising due to the ongoing Russian aggression.
"We have a lot of projects in the de-occupied territories, in particular regarding restoration, the Fast Recovery Plan. Also, due to Russian missile attacks on energy infrastructure facilities, there are many problems with electricity supply and heating in certain regions. Therefore, together with local authorities, we are deploying Points of Invincibility, where people can charge their gadgets, warm up, and get in touch with their relatives," said the Deputy Head of the Office of the President.
In this context, the parties discussed the decentralization reform and steps to further strengthen local self-government in Ukraine. Kyrylo Tymoshenko assured that the central and local authorities began to cooperate more closely to help people in the regions.
Georg Milbradt noted that decentralization makes Ukraine stronger and more stable even in war conditions. After all, the heads of cities and communities directly communicate with people on the ground and know in detail about all their needs.
"Resisting the armed aggression of the Russian Federation requires concentration of efforts and, of course, funds. And I understand that. But the process of decentralization should not stop because of the war," said Georg Milbradt.
The Deputy Head of the President's Office emphasized that the opinion of the local authorities was taken into account during the preparation and implementation of the Ukraine Reconstruction Plan and the Fast Recovery Plan.
According to him, the post-war reconstruction is a chance to modernize the outdated, still Soviet infrastructure, update the housing stock and create more convenient and comfortable living conditions.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko spoke about the work on the Ukraine Reconstruction Plan, which was presented in Lugano, Switzerland, as well as about the Fast Recovery Plan, which provides for the restoration of infrastructure important to people even before the end of the war.
As the Deputy Head of the Office of the President emphasized, the communities in the recently de-occupied territories in the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, as well as in the Sumy region, Chernihiv region and Kyiv region, which were liberated from the Russian invaders earlier, need reconstruction as soon as possible.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko also spoke about the recovery of Ukraine's energy system, which was damaged after massive missile attacks by Russia.
"Certain funds are allocated from the central budget, some funding comes from regional and city budgets to repair energy equipment or purchase generators. That is why there is electricity in Ukraine despite the massive missile attacks of the Russian Federation," he said.
At the same time, according to the Deputy Head of the President's Office, in order to restore the capacities of the energy system, Ukraine desperately needs the help of partners, in particular, in the supply of transformers and other energy equipment.