The Ukraine Recovery Conference opened in the port city of Gdansk on the Baltic coast of Poland on June 25, with the participating parties committed to supporting billions of euros for Ukraine's reconstruction.
The 2-day conference co-organized by Poland and Ukraine is expected to reach more than 160 agreements with a total value of over 10 billion euros (about 11.36 billion USD), Xinhua News Agency quoted Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as saying.
Ms. Svyrydenko also announced that Ukraine has signed an agreement worth 3.39 billion USD with the World Bank (WB).
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the first disbursement of 3.2 billion euros (3.64 billion USD) in the European Union (EU)'s 90 billion euro (102.28 billion USD) loan package, to support defense, strengthen the resilience of the energy system and ensure the state budget for Ukraine.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko attended the Ukraine Recovery Conference on behalf of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky's absence took place in the context of diplomatic disagreements between Poland and Ukraine related to wartime historical issues.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski affirmed that diplomatic disagreements between the two neighboring countries will not affect bilateral trade activities as well as military and humanitarian support that Poland provides to Ukraine.
On the sidelines of the conference, the Polish energy corporation Orlen and the Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz signed two agreements to expand trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and strengthen energy security for Ukraine.
