00:00The Ukraine Recovery Conference.
00:02Widely viewed as Europe's biggest reconstruction project since World War II,
00:07Kiev expects to sign agreements worth more than 1.5 billion euros during the conference,
00:13with deals expected to include projects in housing, infrastructure and regional recovery efforts.
00:19Needs are estimated at hundreds of billions of euros and span virtually every sector of the economy,
00:26from energy and transportation to defense manufacturing, industrial production, digitalization and urban redevelopment.
00:36New News editor Maria Tadeo is in Gdansk and sends this report.
00:42Well, yes, Stefan, good morning.
00:44And we're here in Poland for the second day of the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference.
00:48This is a conference that's been running now for a number of years,
00:51but in 2022 fundamentally changed and it became very much a business conference
00:56about the reconstruction and the future business opportunities in Ukraine.
01:00The goal of this conference is to bring together investors, foreign capital and get them to put money in Ukraine.
01:07This year, however, far from being just a business conference,
01:10has been totally eclipsed by the politics and that diplomatic spat between Poland and Ukraine.
01:16Just days before the conference started,
01:18the Polish president, Nawrowski, stripped, took away a medal from President Zelensky,
01:23the highest order of merit from Poland after a military unit in Ukraine was renamed the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
01:30For the Polish president, Nawrowski, he said this was an insult and he had damaged and hurt the memory from
01:36the Second World War
01:37of many Poles who were killed by this particular unit.
01:40The president of Ukraine then responded back, saying that this has nothing to do with the Polish people,
01:45also said that many other units had been renamed in this war
01:48and suggested that it's being weaponized for political reasons in Poland, looking into an election next year.
01:54That meant that yesterday, Volodymyr Zelensky did not participate in this conference.
01:58He skipped the opening ceremony.
02:00There was, however, a delegation led by the prime minister of Ukraine.
02:04In the meantime, the prime minister of this country, Donald Tusk, trying to pacify both sides,
02:10saying that this is really now the moment for both Poland and Ukraine to respect each other and be mutually
02:15respectful.
02:16Nonetheless, beyond the politics, there were announcements.
02:18The European Union announced that it will now pay off about 3 billion euros from the 90 billion euro loan
02:24that Ukraine should receive from EU member states.
02:27And the United Kingdom also announced a package of 290 million pounds, mostly focused on the energy sector.
02:34And to that point, I spoke with David Lammy, the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom,
02:39and I asked him about the future relationship of the UK with the European Union when it comes to security,
02:44defence, G7 and the upcoming NATO meeting.
02:48Let's take a look.
02:51David Lammy, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews.
02:54Today, the UK is announcing a financial contribution to Ukraine, 219 million.
02:58Why make this announcement now?
03:00Is it a reflection that you believe dynamics on the battlefield are changing and Ukraine can still win it?
03:07As you know, the United Kingdom has stood with Ukraine right from the beginning.
03:12And we pledged some time ago that for every year this war continues,
03:16we will be with Ukraine politically, economically and military.
03:20Our announcement today, of course, comes on the back of successes on the battlefield,
03:27a strong and good G7, which was a strong statement from the United States,
03:31as well as European partners on the situation,
03:35and a desire to support Ukraine until we get that peace.
03:39And, sir, you mentioned the G7.
03:41There was a statement with language that objectively was much stronger
03:44than a lot of people believe would end up in the declaration.
03:48And there's also a form of unanimity now with the United States seemingly also endorsing the language.
03:53Do you get a sense that both the UK and the Europeans,
03:56you've managed to sway the US president?
03:59And now he agrees with you.
04:00Ukraine is in better shape than it seemed at the start of the year.
04:02I think we'll see in NATO in the coming weeks that the United States is seeing Europeans step up
04:08in terms of our commitments to defense and to spend across Europe.
04:14I think we must recognize the progress that we're seeing from Ukraine on the battlefield.
04:19We also see in Russia recession beginning to bite,
04:26a huge casualty loss now of soldiers, well over a million dying.
04:31Ukraine. And so I think we also recognize that this is the moment to keep Ukraine in the fight
04:37to increase our suppression, if you like, of what the Russians are doing
04:45and to support Ukraine to the very end.
04:47And you have one of the best intelligence services in the world.
04:49So you would know what those raids on the ground look like.
04:52But I have to ask you on the sanctions front, because that was also meaningful coming out of the G7,
04:57the idea that sanctions would get tighter. There was a concern because of the energy crisis
05:01that there could be relief on Russian energy. Is that changing?
05:05Are you making plans to really go rough again on the sanctions with the rest of the G7?
05:10We're really clear. We have ramped up our sanctions.
05:13You saw also the introduction from the UK of the Russian Shadow Fleet just a few weeks ago.
05:20Our six packages sanctions, more to come.
05:23I was very clear when I was Foreign Secretary that we would continue to bear down
05:29on Russian aggression, Russian money, dirty money that's financing this war.
05:34And we're really pleased that our European partners continue to do that as well.
05:39And we have also seen, I think, since the elections in Hungary,
05:43a more united front right across Europe.
05:46Certainly on the sanctions. You mentioned NATO. The summit is really around the corner.
05:49Can you carry that momentum into Ankara? Or do you worry?
05:53There's a scenario, too, in which the president will say,
05:55you didn't really help in Iran. I'm not going to help any further.
05:59I think that we will see that momentum into Ankara.
06:02And look, I think it is important to recognize that European bases were being used,
06:09certainly here in Poland, in Germany, in the United Kingdom,
06:14to support efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.
06:18We've had the Coalition of the Willing as well that the UK and France have sponsored once the war
06:25is fully over. And we've seen demining in the Strait of Hormuz.
06:30So I think for all of those reasons, I expect to see a successful NATO conference.
06:35So you don't see possible backlash. And just a final question.
06:38Of course, the UK is now in a moment of transition politically.
06:41There will be a new prime minister. Is there a concern or was there a message that you gave
06:45to your European and Ukrainian allies that the fundamentals of foreign policy of the United Kingdom
06:49will not change when it comes to security, when it comes to Ukraine?
06:52There's absolutely no question of a change in foreign policy.
06:58We have remained committed to Ukraine through successive governments, and that will continue.
07:04And we have been absolutely clear, reconnected with the global community,
07:08a European reset. All of that continues, despite...
07:13There's no rupture. That was your message.
07:15Rupture is not a word that's ever been... I think that was used by the Canadians.
07:18It's certainly not been used by the UK.
07:20So you will maintain that line.
07:22David Lammy, thank you so much for joining us.
07:24Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.
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