Today's Contents
Reporter's Notepad:
- Reporting the Whole News
Just The Facts:
- Ukraine to send negotiators to US on minerals deal this week
- Kremlin says questions on proposed Ukraine ceasefire remain unanswered
- Korea's LS Group looking for partner to set up tractor factory in Ukraine, government says
- Ukraine's cement industry ready to meet reconstruction demands, survey finds
- Eutelsat can't match Starlink coverage in Ukraine yet, CEO says
- US-based Safe Pro to collaborate with Ukraine on AI-driven demining
Here's What They Think:
- The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's democratic resilience undermined by vanishing Western aid
- The Lowy Institute: How to secure Ukraine's democracy and prosperity in a shifting world
Sober Second Thought:
- Restoring Ukraine's farmland from 'bombturbation,' tank damage, rocket fuel will cost $20 billion, study says
The Rebuilders' Social
- Howard Buffet to build bomb shelter, DREAM platform increasingly used, Ministry of Digital Transformation studies microchip development and regulation in Spain.
Dear Subscribers,
As Ukraine Rebuild Newswire grows, we find it's useful to recap the sections of our newsletter for new readers.
As some of you know, the legal name of behind Ukraine Rebuild Newswire and URN Daily, the newsletter, is The Whole News Company. This reflects our news philosophy - we aim to cover the reconstruction of Ukraine from as many angles as possible. The sections of the newsletter represent some of those angles:
- The section you're currently reading, called The Reporter's Notepad, the section you're currently reading, is devoted to the bits and pieces that don't make it into a conventional news article. Snippets of conversations, full interviews, exclusive news and other reporting goes here, along with announcements for readers and other non-news matters.
- In Just The Facts, we run all the news fit to read on the reconstruction of Ukraine, verified and reported by Ukraine Rebuild Newswire staff, unless otherwise attributed.
- We run summaries of interesting or novel opinion pieces from influential media outlets, pundits and intellectuals around the world in Here's What They Think.
- The Sober Second Thought section is home to our reporting on the newest academic and think tank studies related to the reconstruction of Ukraine.
- We scour social media to select important, influential or particularly insightful social media posts that illuminate the plans of Ukraine and the rebuilders, and summarize them in The Rebuilder's Social.
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For questions related to daily news and story suggestions, feel free to message our newsroom chief Valentina Bajic at valentina@ukrainerebuildnews.com.
For sponsorships, the URN Guidebooks, the Tips for Investors column, and other general matters, email founder Adam Brown at adam.brown@ukrainerebuildnews.com.
Now, on to today's headlines …
Ukraine to send negotiators to US on minerals deal this week
Ukraine will this week send a delegation to Washington to advance negotiations on a strategic agreement with the US focused on critical natural resources, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
"This dialogue reflects the strategic interests of both nations and our shared commitment to building a strong, transparent partnership," Svyrydenko wrote in a post on X on Monday.
The minister stated that the delegation will include representatives from Ukraine's ministries of economy, foreign affairs, justice, and finance.
"We aim to align on project selection, legal frameworks, and long-term investment mechanisms," Svyrydenko wrote.
Last week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is in the process of selecting a law firm to represent its interests in upcoming negotiations with the US over the critical minerals deal, stressing the importance of a "just and partnership-based" approach to the deal.
The latest US proposal would require Kyiv to send the US all profit from a fund controlling Ukrainian resources until Ukraine repays all US wartime aid, plus interest, according to a summary reviewed by Reuters.
Zelensky has said earlier that the new proposal was "entirely different" from the earlier framework he was meant to sign in Washington on Feb 28. The signing was postponed following a tense exchange between him and Trump in the Oval Office.
Ukraine will reject any minerals agreement that jeopardizes its EU integration and will not recognize past US aid as loans, Zelensky has said.
Kremlin says questions on proposed Ukraine ceasefire remain unanswered
Russia's President Vladimir Putin remains open to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Moscow has yet to receive answers to key questions regarding the truce proposed by the Trump administration, Reuters reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"President Putin does support the idea of the need for a ceasefire, but before that a number of questions must be answered. These questions are still hanging in the air; so far no one has given an answer to them," Peskov told reporters, as quoted by Reuters on Monday.
The Kremlin on Monday blamed Kyiv for the lack of responses, claiming it cannot control several of its "extremist and nationalist units."
Last month, Putin said Moscow agrees with the US ceasefire proposal for Ukraine in principle, but that a number of details need to be clarified before the fighting stops.
"We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities. The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it. But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and would eliminate the original causes of this crisis," Putin said at the time.
Putin has said that he wanted Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions, for Russia to gain full control over the four Ukrainian regions it claims, and for limitations to be placed on the size of Ukraine's army, among others.
Korea's LS Group looking for partner to set up tractor factory in Ukraine, government says
South Korean conglomerate LS Group is considering establishing a tractor factory in Ukraine and is looking for partners for a potential investment, Ukraine's Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval said.
"LS Group has many years of experience in the production of agricultural machinery and is ready to integrate advanced technologies into production in Ukraine … This is not just a possible investment, but a strategic step for the development of the Ukrainian agricultural sector," Koval said in a press release after meeting with representatives of LS Group last week.
Koval also said LS Group is seeking partners to implement the investment and noted that the ministry is helping its efforts, which envision setting up a joint venture between the Korean company and a local player.
Since the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has lost more than 8,000 units of agricultural machinery and equipment, including more than 1,000 tractors, according to Koval.
The parties also explored opportunities for bioenergy projects in Ukraine, including bioethanol production and establishing a technology center for manufacturing engines for agricultural machinery and other equipment, as per the statement.
Koval highlighted the rapid growth of Ukraine's bioethanol sector, noting that production reached 240,000 tons in 2024, with projections of 460,000 tons in 2025 and up to one million tons by 2026.
"I am confident that our cooperation will strengthen our industrial base, create new jobs, and strengthen Ukraine's position as a manufacturer of high-quality agricultural machinery," Koval said.
Earlier this year, two Korean companies - TYM and Daedong - sent their first tractor shipments to Ukraine.
Ukraine's cement industry ready to meet reconstruction demands, survey finds
Ukrainian cement and concrete producers can increase production to meet reconstruction needs in any scenario, Interfax Ukraine reported, citing a survey conducted by Consumer and Business Research (CBR) Ukraine last year among cement producers and consumers.
"The study revealed that even in times of great uncertainty, such as the current situation with reduced international funding and extremely limited state budget resources, both producers and consumers of cement are ready to quickly restore and expand capacity. They are prepared to invest in order to meet the demands of reconstruction," said CBR researcher Tetiana Sytnyk during a presentation of the findings at a meeting of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine, as quoted by Interfax on Monday.
The CBR study shows that cement production dropped significantly in 2022, falling from 11 million tonnes in 2021 to 5.4 million tonnes due to decreased domestic demand.
However, production stabilized at 7.4 million tonnes in 2023 and 7.97 million tonnes in 2024. Experts surveyed by CBR believe that 8 million tonnes is the maximum achievable during wartime. Once the war ends and reconstruction picks up, peak production could reach up to 12 million tonnes, but not until the third or fourth year of recovery.
"Reconstruction will begin with demining, reinforcing the front lines, and restoring energy infrastructure. Large-scale construction will likely not begin until the third or fourth year," the head of the Ukrainian Cement Association (UkrCement), Pavlo Kachur, told Interfax-Ukraine.
Two-thirds of consumers surveyed by CBR reported an increase in production in 2023, with 20% returning to pre-war levels, and some even surpassing those levels, particularly in concrete for infrastructure projects. However, by 2024, survey participants became more cautious, citing concerns over unstable state funding.
CBR noted that building brand-new plants is unlikely, but modernizing existing kilns can be accomplished within a year.
"Cement companies are ready to make rapid investments in modernization and to launch additional kilns once recovery begins. They’re waiting for clear signals to proceed – such as the allocation of reconstruction funds or a surge in demand to at least 9.5 million tonnes," Sytnyk said.
Eutelsat can't match Starlink coverage in Ukraine yet, CEO says
France's Eutelsat still doesn't have enough capacity to take on Starlink of Elon Musk in Ukraine, Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke told Politico.
"If we were to take over the entire connectivity capacity for Ukraine and all the citizens, we wouldn't be able to do that. Let's just be very honest. But I do think we can provide capacity for some of the critical use cases of government," Berneke told the newspaper.
Starlink's 7,000 satellites are much more powerful than Eutelsat's 600 satellites and bulkier equipment. Musk's network can provide 23 to 490 times more capacity than Eutelsat in Ukraine, depending on how it's used, according to Politico.
Starlink reportedly had over 42,000 kits in Ukraine last year. "I don't think we need to get anywhere close to that but you could actually think about at least having a couple of thousand … to have back-up in the critical places," Berneke said.
Germany has been supporting Ukraine's access to high-speed satellite internet from Eutelsat, as Europe seeks alternatives to Elon Musk's Starlink network, Reuters reported last week, citing Berneke.
Berneke told the news outlet that the service has been running in Ukraine for about a year through a German distributor, though she didn't reveal the cost.
Starlink has been essential for the Ukrainian military during the war with Russia, as much of Ukraine's communications infrastructure has been destroyed. However, growing tensions between Washington and Europe have raised concerns about possible service disruptions.
In March, the European Commission stated in a report on the future of European defense that the EU should fund Ukraine's access to space-based services from commercial providers based in Europe, including start-ups and growing companies.
US-based Safe Pro to collaborate with Ukraine on AI-driven demining
Florida-based Safe Pro Group, which offers cloud-based AI solutions for processing drone imagery in humanitarian mine clearance, said it has signed a multi-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ukraine's Center of Excellence for Mine Action and Environmental Security.
Under the agreement, the two will explore integrating Safe Pro's patented AI technology into Ukraine's demining methods and training to modernize landmine detection and clearance, the US company said in a press release on Tuesday.
By leveraging AI-driven drone imagery through SpotlightAI, Ukraine can significantly speed up demining, accurately pinpointing threats across large areas at reduced time and cost, according to the release. This technology could help survey vast stretches of land along the front lines and in recently reclaimed territories to identify the exact locations of mines and unexploded ordnance, Safe Pro said.
"Through this strategic partnership, Safe Pro and the Center will develop next-generation demining methodologies and training programs powered by AI-driven threat detection," the statement read.
Ukraine is grappling with one of the largest landmine contamination crises in modern history, with over 138,500 square kilometers potentially affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
The damage has rendered large areas of farmland unusable, leading to economic losses exceeding $80 billion. NASA Harvest estimates that 5.2 million to 6.9 million acres of farmland were abandoned due to the war, resulting in $2 billion in lost crops in 2023—enough to feed 25 million people for a year, according to Safe Pro.
Safe Pro said conventional demining efforts are expensive, slow, and dangerous, with estimates suggesting that clearance could take over a decade and cost more than $29.8 billion.
Operating under Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, the National Mine Action Center of Excellence acts as a central hub for promoting best practices in mine action, environmental security, and technological innovation. It fosters collaboration among government bodies, private sector partners, and research institutions, ensuring thorough testing, validation, and certification of advanced technologies.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's democratic resilience undermined by vanishing Western aid
Civil society is Ukraine's third line of defense that's under threat as war, shrinking international support for civil society and weakening independent media threaten Ukraine's democratic resilience, Katerina Sergatskova, executive director of the 2402 Foundation, wrote in an opinion piece for the Kyiv Independent.
Sergatskova highlights the critical roles of NGOs and journalists in helping citizens, documenting war crimes, and resisting authoritarian influence — efforts now jeopardized by international aid cuts. The 2402 Foundation itself, which provides security training and protective support to frontline workers, is facing potential closure. Sergatskova calls for Ukraine to be recognized as a strategic partner rather than a charity case and urges Western allies to reverse aid cuts, warning that neglecting civil society will undermine broader democratic security across Europe.
The Lowy Institute: How to secure Ukraine's democracy and prosperity in a shifting world
In a world shaped by geopolitical instability and the looming uncertainty of a second Trump presidency, Mark Edele, a history professor at the University of Melbourne, proposes a pragmatic redefinition of "victory" for Ukraine in an opinion piece for the Lowy Institute.
Rather than pursuing the full liberation of Russian-occupied territories—a goal now seen as increasingly unrealistic—Ukraine should aim to preserve its democratic statehood by stabilizing the frontline, securing its airspace, and accepting the de facto (but not de jure) loss of territory. Edele advocates for a Marshall Plan-style economic revitalization, supported by a flexible "coalition of the willing" composed of democracies outside cumbersome multilateral frameworks like NATO or the EU.
Restoring Ukraine's farmland from 'bombturbation,' tank damage, rocket fuel will cost $20 billion, study says
Restoring Ukraine's war-damaged agricultural soils will cost at least $20 billion, equivalent to about 15% of the country's pre-war GDP, according to a study by Wageningen University & Research (WUR). This estimate does not account for the costs of machinery, fuel, or labor, making the true figure likely much higher.
The war has severely damaged the country's farmland, particularly in regions like Kharkiv, once home to some of the world's most fertile soils, according to the study. The conflict has caused extensive destruction, with over 160,000 hectares of farmland damaged in Kharkiv alone, and more than 420,000 craters created by bombings.
Ukraine's fertile chernozem, or "black earth," soils are are rich in organic matter, and have been essential to its thriving agricultural sector. However, the war has left these soils in a much worse condition.
Besides bomb damage, the destruction of farmland includes the disruption of farming infrastructure, making it difficult for farmers to manage their lands or even access them in some areas. While some regions may eventually be restored to agriculture, others could become permanently unfit for farming due to unexploded munitions and severe contamination.
The war's impact on agriculture is not just physical but also chemical. Researchers have identified soil contamination with heavy metals and rocket fuel, which threatens plant growth and food safety.
Soil compression from military vehicles, like tanks, worsens the situation by reducing air and water circulation in the ground, according to the report. Explosive munitions create craters that mix soil layers, destroying the fertile topsoil and negatively affecting soil life. This phenomenon, called "bombturbation," leaves the soil less fertile and harder to restore.
In addition to the physical and chemical damage, some areas may need to be designated as protected zones rather than returned to agriculture.
"Many fertile soils overlap with the frontline of the conflict, in eastern and southern Ukraine," said WUR researcher Serhii Sydorenko. "These areas have been hit very hard. Most of them are heavily damaged, contaminated or occupied by Russia."
The study noted that farmers in Flanders still come across unexploded munitions from World War I while ploughing their fields—even more than a century later.
With Ukraine facing the dual challenge of rebuilding its agricultural sector and its infrastructure, policymakers must recognize that recovery will take substantial investments, time, effort, and coordination from policymakers, according to WUR.
Social Media Posts
Howard Buffet to Build Bomb Shelter
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a LinkedIn post that Howard Buffet, the son of billionaire Warren Buffet, was moved to agree to build a bomb shelter for Ukrainian school children after a visit to the Sumy border region.
"The meeting with the kids and with local Principal Oleksii was so warm and sincere that, once we boarded the train back to Kyiv, Howard said, 'I will build them a modern bomb shelter'" wrote Svyrydenko.
Studying Microchip Development in Spain
Valeriya Ionan, deputy minister for Eurointegration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, recapped a trip of representatives from the ministry and the Ukrainian private sector to Spain to learn about the development and regulation of microchips and semiconductor technologies.
A recent govenment resolution gave the ministry "clear responsibility to shape national policy in this area," she wrote. "Studying European best practices — particularly through this visit to Spain — is helping us tailor Ukraine’s approach to align with the European Chips Act and other international standards."
DREAM Platform Used Fully by EIB's URP III
The DREAM platform, the state portal meant to organize the reconstruction of Ukraine, announced the completion of project selection for funding under the third phase of the European Investment Bank's Ukraine Recovery Program III.
The selection, conducted entirely on the DREAM platform, included 131 projects in the areas of energy, water supply modernization, reconstruction of healthcare facilities and construction of social housing.
Business Toasts New Law on Hops
The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (ACC) announced a "policy win" with Parliament's adoption of the draft law "On Hops and Hop Products," which aligns related legislation with laws in the European Union.
The adopted law, which incorporates proposals from the business community, will "contribute to the development of the industry and increase transparency in the market, which will create new opportunities for the growth of exports of Ukrainian products," ACC said.
URN Daily: Sense Bank and Ukrgasbank for sale? And US seeks to cancel $4.7 billion of Ukraine's debt
