Economic, military and budgetary support – key topics of Denys Shmyhal’s meetings during U.S. visit
During his working visit to the United States of America, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with representatives of the U.S. Government and Congress and business circles. The topics of discussion included not only support for Ukraine and cooperation, but also Ukraine’s experience in maintaining economic stability despite russia’s full-scale invasion.
At a meeting between Denys Shmyhal and Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the parties exchanged views on military assistance to Ukraine, budget support and the confiscation of russian assets. The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of bipartisan support for Ukraine by the Congress.
“We are sincerely grateful for USD 22.9 billion of direct financial support. And especially for more than USD 45 billion in military aid. We expect the strong support of the United States to continue in the future,” the Prime Minister said.
Denys Shmyhal and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo focused on issues such as strengthening sanctions against russia, particularly in the high-tech sector.
“We must weaken the aggressor’s ability to produce new missiles and drones. High-quality application of sanctions is an extremely important area of countering russian weapons,” the Head of Ukrainian Government noted, stressing the need to confiscate frozen russian assets.
The parties also discussed economic cooperation.
The Prime Minister is convinced that an effective way to support the Ukrainian economy is through market access and trade. Denys Shmyhal noted Gina Raimondo’s initiative to exempt Ukrainian steel from duties, which had become an important support for businesses operating in cities under constant shelling.
“We are grateful for the constructive dialogue and readiness to strengthen our cooperation,” the Prime Minister concluded.
The situation in the energy sector of Ukraine after the russian shelling was discussed at a meeting between the Prime Minister and the President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga.
“We are cooperating with the World Bank to mobilise emergency funding for the urgent repair of damaged infrastructure,” said Denys Shmyhal.
Moreover, the Prime Minister proposed to agree on signing a memorandum on the development of the housing market.
“The need for new housing has increased significantly. Therefore, we want to engage the private sector to develop this market. And we need the support of the World Bank, IFC and MIGA,” the Head of Ukrainian Government noted, adding that since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, the WB had mobilised USD 42 billion to support Ukraine, of which USD 36 billion had already been disbursed.
During the meeting with the American business community in Washington, the Prime Minister mentioned another crime committed by the russians, who fired rockets at the civilian infrastructure of Chernihiv.
“russia continues to kill Ukrainians, and we need more support and assistance to stop the enemy. It is critically important for us to cooperate with American business and implement joint projects, in particular in the defence industry,” Denys Shmyhal said in his speech. He emphasised the existing cooperation, in particular in the energy sector with Westinghouse, and named priority areas for Ukraine, such as the agricultural sector, IT, critical raw materials and logistics.
The Prime Minister stressed that despite the war, the Government continued to implement reforms and transform the country, in particular to attract more investors to projects in Ukraine.
Denys Shmyhal thanked American companies for continuing to work and invest in Ukraine: “This helps us to be resilient and continue to fight for our country.”