President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that the reconstruction of Ukraine should start now rather than after the victory in the war.

“When they talk about reconstruction, they often put the emphasis incorrectly. It is not only about what we should do after our victory or in the following years. Yet, above all, [it is about] what we need to do right now.

And we have to do it together with our partners, with the entire democratic world. [We have to] do it now”, - said Volodymyr Zelensky.

He noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had already liberated over a thousand settlements from the aggressors, and “new ones are being added every week”, in particular in the south of Ukraine.

“All of them suffered large-scale destruction. This also means the need for colossal funds for the restoration of infrastructure, for the return of medicine and social services, for the restoration of normal economic life. There are tens of thousands of destroyed residential buildings alone in the liberated areas. And we also need to prepare schools and universities for the new academic year in the entire free territory of the country and in new conditions of constant threat, in particular missile strikes.

It is necessary to prepare for winter in order to let the season pass calmly despite the threats posed by Russia.

A significant part of the economy has been destroyed by hostilities and Russian strikes. Thousands of enterprises are out of business. This means a high need for jobs, for ensuring social benefits despite the decrease in tax revenues”, - added Volodymyr Zelensky.