The prime minister of Ukraine said the rebuilding would cost $750 billion.

For Ukrainians living through the war, the costs of the conflict are immeasurable: Thousands of people have been killed, countless homes and structures destroyed by rockets, families have to displaced, livelihoods lost. But international leaders are gathering in the lakeside Swiss town of Lugano to a monday on tuesday in an attempt to do that.

The leaders, joined by aid and financial institutions, are mapping out the massive effort they will make to rebuild war-torn Ukraine.

Nearly five months of war damaged vital infrastructure – factories, airports, train stations – and wiped out residential buildings, schools, hospitals, churches and shopping malls. And bombs keep falling. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, told those gathered in Lugano on Monday that the cost of rebuilding estimated at 750 billion dollars.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine warned the conference that the task of rebuilding the country would be “huge.” He said by video link, Russia’s indiscriminate shelling was an attempt not only to destroy Ukraine but also the vision of democracy and Europe, he said via video link, making the war “unlikely”. only ours, not just locally.”

“This is a Russian attack on everything of value to you and me,” he added. “Therefore, the reconstruction of Ukraine is not a local project, not a national project, but a common task of the entire democratic world.”

He repeated that message in his nightly address to Ukraine.

Whatever the cost, Ukraine’s international allies will face an uphill struggle to help rebuild a former Soviet state with a pervasive culture of corruption and democratic institutions. fragile owner. Transparency International, an anti-corruption watchdog, ranks Ukraine 117th out of 180 countries on its corruption index in 2020.

At the same time, while Ukraine would welcome more aid pledges, many Western nations and their publics are suffering from war fatigue amid rising inflation and food and gas prices. ladder. And it remains to be seen how much countries will be willing to help Ukraine when the war is finally over.

Earlier this year, donor commitments to Afghanistan and Yemen fell short of the target set by the United Nations. In Afghanistan, where Taliban policies have complicated aid efforts, the UN says that $4.4 billion is needed this year only in humanitarian aid, but $2.4 billion has been raised. Of the $4.3 billion searched for Yemen, $1.3 billion has been contributed.

Mr. Zelensky sent Mr. Shmyhal and other members of his cabinet to Lugano, a picturesque lakeside town, for two days of talks with an international cast of heavyweights. Also in attendance were the president of the executive body of the European Union, Ursula van der Leyen, who called the reconstruction of Ukraine “a task of the generation”, and the British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, along with other ministers. senior officials from Europe, North America and Asia. and representatives of major international financial institutions.

The meeting was scheduled long before the war as one of a series of conferences focused on tackling corruption in Ukraine. But after Russia began the invasion on February 24, the focus turned to recovery. The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, also spoke at the Lugano conference by video link on Monday and announced another meeting of first ladies and gentlemen from around the world on May 23. 7. She organized the group’s first summit last year in Kyiv, the capital.

“Any discussion about Ukraine’s post-war recovery will be meaningless if they don’t prioritize restoring the people’s mental and physical health,” Zelenska said. at her address on Monday.

The meeting in Lugano is still examining issues of governance and corruption, which have emerged fresh in recent weeks: When the European Union accepted Ukraine last month as a candidate for full membership Suffice it to say that progress on corruption and the rule of law would be required to enhance the application.

But even before the conference got underway, some countries seemed ready to promise financial support.

The UK said it would provide more than $1 billion in World Bank loans and World Bank financing and guarantees for an additional half a billion dollars, along with immediate support. for demining and rebuilding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Vivek Shankar contribution report.