Schulze in Kiev: Doctors just as important as tanks
Published: Thursday, May 9th 2024, 08:30
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German Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) has arrived in Kiev on a previously unannounced visit to pledge further support for the reconstruction of the country, which has been severely affected by the Russian war of aggression. Her talks in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday will focus on the expansion of the Ukrainian power grid with German assistance and the training of specialists, among other things. "The doctors and electricians are at least as important as the tanks," said Schulze after her arrival at the train station in Kiev.
The visit is in preparation for the major reconstruction conference, which is expected to attract around 1,500 participants in Berlin on June 11 and 12 - including heads of state and government. The SPD politician will take part in a "Summit of Cities and Regions" in the Ukrainian capital.
"The people here are rebuilding their country every day, they won't give up," said Schulze in Kiev. "It is therefore very important that there is not only support for weapons, but also support for civilian reconstruction." Among other things, the Berlin conference will focus on how small and medium-sized enterprises can be supported and how skilled workers can be found for reconstruction.
Germany is considered the largest military, financial and humanitarian supporter in Europe of Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. Schulze has already been there twice since the Russian invasion in February 2022 and is heavily involved in the preparations for the reconstruction conference in June, which follows similar conferences in London and Lugano in Switzerland in the past two years.
The Ukrainian government assumes that it would take another five to ten years to rebuild the country if the war were to end now. At the beginning of the year, the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations put the damage caused by the war at 500 billion euros.
©Keystone/SDA
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