On the instructions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak held an expanded meeting of the Presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, which focused on the reconstruction of Kyiv region.
The event was also attended by U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker.
In total, more than 200 participants joined the meeting in person and online, including representatives of the central government, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada and MPs, representatives of Kyiv region, including the head of the regional military administration, the acting head of the regional council, heads of district military administrations, as well as foreign ambassadors and representatives of international organizations.
Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Executive Secretary of the Presidium of the Congress Oleksiy Kuleba, who moderated the meeting, emphasized the importance of resolving problematic issues regarding the implementation of projects for the reconstruction and restoration of territorial communities in Kyiv region affected by Russian aggression.
Participants of the Congress Presidium meeting heard issues raised by representatives of local governments and residents of Kyiv region's territorial communities.
Andriy Yermak emphasized that the reconstruction of all war-affected regions is a key element of Ukraine's recovery. He emphasized the role of partner countries that provide our country with significant assistance in various areas.
"In addition to infrastructure reconstruction, we are talking about a decisive reform of many systems, elements and "settings" in our country. In a certain way, we are talking about re-founding Ukraine according to the standards of the EU and NATO, of which we will certainly become members in the foreseeable future. This includes a market economy, security, democratic mechanisms, finding a new mix of checks and balances, the rule of law, social justice, openness to advanced ideas and practices, and much more," said Andriy Yermak.
He emphasized that the United States plays a special role in providing defense support to Ukraine.
"Together we have held back the aggressor. And now Ukraine is successfully regaining its territory. However, we must admit that the existential threat to our country has not passed, so this time should be used to maximize its resilience. The basic element here is a close dialog on the comprehensive reconstruction of Ukraine. And we are grateful to the United States, our strategic partner, for its leadership in this process," the Head of the Presidential Office noted.
Andriy Yermak noted that in confirmation of this leadership, on September 14 this year, President Joseph Biden appointed Penny Pritzker as the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery. He welcomed Penny Pritzker's participation in the meeting of the Congress Presidium.
The U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery thanked for the meeting and the important issues discussed today.
She assured of continued U.S. support for Ukrainian regions and noted that decentralization makes it possible to listen to the opinions of community residents.
"Your country's economy is developing in the regions. This has its results. Today, I want to hear your ideas on how Ukraine can develop and how we – in particular, the international community, the private sector – can help you implement your projects," said Penny Pritzker.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that Kyiv region, which is being discussed at today's meeting, is the region that prevented the Russian occupiers from reaching the capital in the first days of the full-scale invasion.
"That's why our task is to do everything to rebuild Kyiv region and other regions that have been devastated by this terrible invasion," he emphasized.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the communities of Kyiv region are almost 100% prepared for the heating season, nuclear power plants are operating, and there is enough gas in storage - 15.8 billion cubic meters.
"Of course, the key is passive and active defense. In particular, in Kyiv region, we are protecting key energy facilities from drone and missile attacks," he said.
The Prime Minister called the rebuilding of communities in Kyiv region the second challenge. The priorities include demining and restoration of residential buildings.
"The United States is also a leader in supporting us here. A special training center has been set up to train sappers – Ukraine needs more than 10,000 of them. This is our security," he said.
According to Denys Shmyhal, 12,000 out of 28,000 residential buildings destroyed as a result of the hostilities have been restored in Kyiv region. This was done using all types of funding, including assistance from international partners.
During the online conference call, representatives of the communities of Irpin, Moshchun, Kukhary, Andriivka, Shevchenkove and Markhalivka informed the participants of the Congress Presidium meeting about the problems related to the reconstruction process. In particular, they discussed drafting design and estimate documentation for housing reconstruction, implementing a program to restore destroyed private homes, paying appropriate compensation to affected owners, and demining the territories.
The Head of the President's Office emphasized that the new, expanded format of the Congress Presidium meeting allows any community representative to receive a comprehensive response from the authorities on the current problems of the settlement.
"Such a connection between the government and the citizen is a guarantee that we will have full information about the issues and together we will find ways to solve any problem," said Andriy Yermak.