The European Union plans to invest around $104 billion to rebuild Ukrainian infrastructure destroyed during Russia’s invasion. The European Investment Bank aims to create an EU-Ukraine Gateway Trust Fund through which EU countries will contribute to Ukraine’s recovery in the form of grants, loans and guarantees, Reuters reported on Monday. The investment plan comes as Russia has decimated infrastructure with missile and artillery attacks across Ukraine, but especially in its eastern region. Europe kicked off the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland on Monday. The event was originally planned as the annual Ukraine Reform Conference, where high-level politicians from European countries that support Ukraine have met with the country’s leaders in the past. RUSSIAN FAN REFLECTS ‘BLOOD BATTLE’ AS FIGHT FOR DONBAS CONTINUES Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the conference, where the country’s officials are to receive a sort of report on Ukraine’s recent progress toward “modernization.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits frontline positions of his nation’s military in Donbas, Ukraine, on December 6, 2021. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) The conference will focus on Ukraine’s progress in economic, environmental, social and government reforms. The conference argues that continued support to Ukraine is based on the country’s further progress in the fields, especially social policy. ZELENSKY THREATS WHITE SOLDIERS ATTACKING UKRAINE: ‘WE WILL FIND YOU ALL’ “Many challenges remain, and continued progress on social policy reforms will be critical to Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery,” the Ukrainian Reform Tracker wrote of the conference. The tracker went on to highlight Ukraine’s record on LGBT rights and inclusion. Gay marriage is illegal in Ukraine, although the report praised the country’s government for defending gay pride parades in its major cities. “As indicated by Ukraine’s ranking in ILGA Europe’s Rainbow Europe Index, this progress has stagnated in recent years,” the Ukrainian LGBT reform tracker wrote. “For example, while Ukraine’s parliament has tabled bills proposing protections against hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity, these have yet to be voted on.” “It is important to emphasize that Ukraine must adopt a comprehensive and participatory approach to recovery, with the full involvement of diverse civil society stakeholders. Reparations will be a key part of this process,” the report continues. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The URC states that Ukraine’s continued progress in social, economic, governmental and environmental reforms “will be essential to the nation’s post-war recovery.”
