Today's Contents
Just The Facts:
- Zelensky says European leaders will support any deal he works out with Trump for peace talks
- DFC approves $325 million for political risk insurance to build grain silos, oilseed export terminal in Ukraine
- Japan launches program to bolster Ukraine's anti-corruption and judicial reforms
Here's What They Think:
- Politico: NATO's European leaders must engage with Trump on Ukraine peace talks
- FT: Alternative deal for Ukraine costly, but worthy
Sober Second Thought:
- Ukrainian veterans lack awareness of legal aid options, study finds
Happy New Year!
At Ukraine Rebuild Newswire, we’re undergoing some major changes and are charging into 2025 with enthusiasm.
You’ll notice some changes to the website already and much more is to come. We’ll reveal more in coming days. We ask for a bit more patience.
In the meantime, here’s a link to the expanded version of our Master Guide to Rebuilding Ukraine, Q1 2025. We will be launching the guide soon for general use but, for now, it’s exclusive to premium subscribers. Feel free, however, to send the link to friends, clients and co-workers who might benefit from it.
https://urn-media.b-cdn.net/URN-master-guide-email-ebook-r2.pdf
Here’s looking forward to a fruitful, and hopefully peaceful, 2025!
The URN Team
Zelensky says European leaders will support any deal he works out with Trump for peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would work out a common position with US President-elect Donald Trump before any peace talks with Russia, and European leaders would back their position.
"We sit down, first of all, with Trump," Zelensky said in a three-hour interview with podcaster Lex Fridman. "We agree with him on how we can stop the war, stop Putin. It is important for us to sit down with him."
He said gaining the support of European leaders for any agreement worked out between him and Trump would come quickly, due to Trump's strong influence on them.
"When I talk about something with Donald Trump, whether we meet in person or we just have a call, all the European leaders always ask, 'How was it?' This shows the influence of Donald Trump, and this has never happened before with an American president. I tell you from my experience, this also gives you confidence that he can stop this war."
"For us, it is very important that Europe also has a voice," Zelensky added. "It won’t be long because Europe will be looking at us and we’ll be looking at Trump."
Trump also has the ability to pressure Putin into accepting a peace deal, Zelensky said, but added that Trump would have to give Ukraine security guarantees, such as admittance to NATO, or war could soon flare up again.
Zelensky did not say when peace talks could take place but Fridman, an American who was born in the Soviet Union who speaks fluent Russian, offered the example of holding peace talks on Jan 25.
"Well, you just call it Jan 25 and I don’t mind, it’s my birthday," Zelensky replied.
Fridman, who has 4.5 million YouTube subscribers and has interviewed powerful figures such as Elon Musk, Trump, Jeff Bezos and others, travelled to Ukraine for the interview. In the opening of the podcast, he told Zelensky he wishes it were possible to fly into Kyiv, but the airport has been closed for the duration of the war.
"Yes," Zelensky said. "I think that the war will end and President Trump may be the first leader to travel here by airplane. I think it would be symbolic by airplane.
"Again, Jan 25 around that date, right," Lex said, half-jokingly, reinforcing his proposed date. "Flying in, meeting the Air Force One.
"That would be cool," Zelensky replied.
DFC approves $325 million for political risk insurance to build grain silos, oilseed export terminal in Ukraine
The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has approved up to $325 million to back political risk insurance in the first quarter of 2025 for investments in a grain and oilseed export terminal, grain silos, and an inventory.
The transaction represents one of the 22 transactions the development finance institution approved worldwide, totalling $3 billion, this quarter.
The political risk insurance aligns with US foreign policy goals to bolster Ukraine's economic stability and resilience amid Kyiv's ongoing war with Russia, the DFC said in a press release.
The investments to be insured are expected to preserve jobs in Ukraine, sustain the country's vital operations in the agricultural sector, enhance global food security, and support businesses that generate tax revenues for the Ukrainian government.
The insurance also comes amid a push by the DFC and institutions from other governments to expand the options for insuring investors seeking to back projects in Ukraine.
Two months ago, the DFC signed a reinsurance contract with Ukraine's ARX Insurance, pledging $50 million to back the company's coverage of property in Ukraine against missile and drone attacks.
The latest announcement also comes weeks after Richard Verma, the US special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine, announced an aid package of $223 million for the reconstruction of transportation infrastructure and logistics in Ukraine, with an eye toward increasing exports from the agricultural sector.
In Q4 2024, DFC provided each of KredoBank, Raiffeisen Ukraine, and Bank Lviv with a $40 million with loan portfolio to support local businesses in Ukraine.
Japan backs Ukraine's anti-corruption and judicial reforms
The Japanese government said it is launching a program this year to support Ukraine in combating corruption and reforming its judicial system.
The initiatives aims to help Ukraine improve governance, which could bolster its chances of joining the European Union, and secure international support for post-war reconstruction, the Japan News reported.
During her visit to Tokyo last months, Ukraine's Deputy Justice Minister Liudmyla Suhak highlighted struggles her country faces in the area of combatting corruption and expressed interest in collaborating with Japan to learn from its experience in maintaining transparency.
Japan's fiscal 2025 draft budget includes JPY 275 million ($1.74 million) to support developing Ukraine's legal systems.
"We need to produce results as soon as possible before [Ukraine] enters a reconstruction phase," an unnamed senior Japanese Justice Ministry official said.
Ukraine ranked 104th out of 180 countries in the 2023 corruption perceptions rankings by Transparency International, while Japan rankes 16th.
Politico: NATO's European leaders must engage with Trump on Ukraine peace talks
NATO's European leaders must join the Trump administration in all potential negotiations about a cease-fire in Ukraine and they also must ensure that Kyiv has a seat on the table, Krišjānis Kariņš, former prime minister of Latvia, wrote in an op-ed for Politico. Kariņš said that appeasement, as history shows, doesn't lead to peace and that the path to Ukraine's independence includes NATO European leaders' readiness to physically guarantee any peace deal for the country.
FT: Alternative deal for Ukraine costly, but worthy
An alternative deal for Ukraine, which does not involve a rushed end to the war or the prolonged conflict, would be costly for the allies but worthy in the long run, the Financial Times editorial board wrote in an op-ed. This alternative deal would include Russia retaining control over some of the Ukrainian territory but allowing the rest of the country to rebuild and prosper, including becoming an EU member.
Ukrainian veterans lack awareness of legal aid options, study finds
Ukrainian veterans have low awareness of available legal aid and they also face difficulties when trying to access it, a study published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) found.
Veterans primarily face challenges such as unpaid wages (56%), difficulties obtaining official status (49%), and social security issues (39%), according to the study.
A significant barrier is the lack of awareness about legal aid services, with a staggering 74% of respondents in the Chernihiv region identifying it as a major challenge.
Women veterans frequently express higher levels of mistrust in institutions, with 46% reporting this concern. Additionally, 34.3% cite negative experiences shared by friends or relatives as a contributing factor to their challenges with institutional interactions.
Following their transition from military service, a significant majority of veterans (85%) express a need for clear and accessible information regarding their rights and entitlements, the study revealed.
Additionally, 80% require support in navigating the process of securing pensions and other social benefits. Furthermore, 69% highlight the need for assistance in obtaining official legal status to ensure they can access the services and protections to which they are entitled.
The study revealed significant gender disparities in access to legal aid among veterans. Women veterans reported facing greater challenges with military discharge procedures (83% compared to 51% of men), obtaining official status (53%), accessing social security (50%), and securing medical and educational benefits (37%).
Veterans' families also have substantial needs: 88% are seeking information about rights and benefits, 79% require financial assistance, and 76% need help securing official status. For families of deceased service members, the most pressing issues are processing benefits (48%), obtaining death certificates (38%), and accessing financial support (33%).
The report accompanying the study outlines practical recommendations to enhance access to legal aid for veterans. Key measures include streamlining procedures for obtaining veteran status, accelerating benefits and payments, developing informational materials for veterans and their families, and initiating targeted awareness campaigns to foster trust in legal services.
Invest in Lviv, the investment promotion agency of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, announced that construction of a crematorium has begun in the city, after an architectural competition for its design, to ease environmental impact of burials and offset the limited space in Lviv cemeteries.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine published its annual report, stating on social media that its membership increased almost 12% in 2024 to 673 companies, and it has added 200 since the full-scale invasion of February 2022.
In a year-end review, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine said the country received $41 billion in assistance for the state budget from 11 partners in 2024, including $17.3 billion from the European Union, $8.3 billion from the US, $5.3 billion from the IMF and $4.3 billion from Japan.
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's economy minister and deputy prime minister, posted on social media that privatization set records in 2024 for both revenue and the scale of asserts sold, with the auctions of the iconic Hotel Ukraine, the country's largest titanium miner and others.
The UN-Habitat office in Ukraine announced a request for proposals to develop "thematic papers," or on-depth examination and analysis, that could help decision makers in Ukraine devise policy on housing, municipal government, infrastructure and other issues.
Oleksandr Pertsovksyi, CEO of Ukrainian Railways, said in a post on social media post that three railway workers held prisoner by Russian forces were released after almost three years in captivity, but many others are still being held.
(Ukrainian Railways employee reunited with family after almost three years of captivity at the hands of Russian forces)
URN Daily: Sense Bank and Ukrgasbank for sale? And US seeks to cancel $4.7 billion of Ukraine's debt
