President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the World Bank delegation led by Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde.
The Head of State thanked the World Bank for the unprecedented support provided to Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion.
“We are grateful for the number of programs that the World Bank implements in Ukraine, especially after the start of a full-scale war. We thank you for the willingness to come to our aid even in the face of military challenges,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Particular attention was paid to the provision of financing by donors under the coordination of the World Bank for projects to restore our country, primarily in the areas of transport infrastructure, electricity and healthcare.
The President emphasized the urgency of implementing programs for the fast recovery of destroyed infrastructure facilities, primarily residential buildings and educational institutions.
The Head of State separately noted the importance of implementing business insurance programs in Ukraine, which is especially relevant in the context of job creation.
During the meeting, the parties noted the importance of the further coordination of donors’ efforts by the World Bank and partners to provide Ukraine with the necessary assistance in a timely manner.
Accordingt to a report, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Anna Bjerde, Vice President of the World Bank for Europe and Central Asia, who is visiting our country.
As the Head of State said, we always want to warmly welcome friends and partners in Ukraine, but the World Bank delegation arrived in Kyiv on the day when Russia carried out another massive missile attack on Ukrainian territory.
“Unfortunately, we have been living in such conditions for a long time. Thank you for your support, for the fact that you did not leave immediately, but stayed. This is a very important signal,” Zelenskyy said.
The President expressed his gratitude to the World Bank and its management for the quick response to Ukraine’s needs from the first days of the full-scale war, to threats to economic and macro-financial stability, and the budget deficit.
Zelenskyy said that starting February 24, 2022, the World Bank provided Ukraine with $11.4 billion, which is extremely important support for our country.
For her part, Bjerde noted the bravery and courage of the Ukrainian people, with which they are fighting for their country.
At the meeting, the parties discussed the preparation of World Bank projects for the restoration of Ukrainian transport, energy infrastructure and health care facilities.
It was noted that our country hopes for the approval of the decision of the board of governors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is part of the World Bank group, on the $2 billion program in December.
The interlocutors also considered a possibility of the leading role of the World Bank in structuring the Ukraine Recovery Fund.
In addition, the President thanked the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) for the pilot project to introduce military risk insurance for business. He said that this is an extremely important tool for entrepreneurs.
