Ukraine: Reconstruction Conference in Rome Comes Before Peace

In Ukraine, peace is further away than post-conflict reconstruction. This is the bitter paradox that, in a positive sense, characterizes the fourth Conference on Reconstruction, which will take place on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 in Italy, in Rome. Meanwhile, unfortunately, the tragic news from the front does not abate. The more than 20,000 Ukrainians without electricity following Russian attacks on Sumy go hand in hand with the repeated demands of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, expressed in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet. International recognition of Crimea and the four regions claimed as Russian territories, a commitment by Kyiv not to join NATO, the lifting of sanctions, and the return of frozen assets — this is the Russian “price” to sit down and negotiate with Volodymyr Zelensky. Lavrov adds that Moscow is also against a temporary ceasefire that “the Kyiv regime and its external handlers would like in order to regroup troops, continue mobilization, and strengthen military capabilities.”

This is the environment in which the Rome Reconstruction Conference will take place. Not exactly ideal for Italy, which — after Switzerland, the UK, and Germany — could go down in history as the country that, through the reconstruction project, helped foster the peace process. Italy intends to move in continuity with the 2024 Conference motto: “United in Defence. United in Recovery. Stronger Together.”

Who has confirmed attendance
Already confirmed are: Keith Kellogg, envoy to Ukraine for President Donald Trump; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk; and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

What will be discussed in Rome
The Conference program will revolve around four main pillars: the EU dimension, the human dimension, the business dimension, and the regional dimension. The first concerns Ukraine’s European integration, with the progressive alignment of Kyiv to EU standards, advancement toward the Single Market, and support for reforms related to Ukraine’s EU accession. The business dimension will involve the necessary mobilization of the private sector, access to Ukrainian capital, planning, insurance, and regulatory simplification. The human dimension concerns the reconstruction of Ukraine’s human capital: health, education, inclusion of refugees and veterans, participation of civil society and the diaspora are the themes of dedicated sessions. Finally, there is the local and regional dimension, with debate on the role of territories and municipalities, related governance, decentralization, access to funding, urban development, and civil resilience.