“The future of Europe, and in many ways the future of the world, depends on the continued bravery and tenacity of the Ukrainian people. We know this, which is why the United States – and democratic allies around the world – continue to stand in support of our Ukrainian partners,” said United States Agency for International Development Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman in her keynote Address at the Kyiv Investment Forum.
As part of his brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is targeting not only its people: he is also attempting to destroy the country’s economy.
“The United States is, of course, providing weapons and support that Ukraine needs to stay in the fight,” said Deputy Administrator Coleman. But the United States is also looking ahead, to Ukraine’s post-war future. Working through USAID, the United States is investing in Ukraine and its people.
“One key to Ukraine’s recovery will be a robust, growing, and vibrant private sector; and an economy that creates jobs, increases exports, and generates tax revenues,” said Deputy Administrator Coleman. “As the Russian military attempts to destroy a portion of Ukraine’s economy that helps feed the world, USAID is working with businesses to get Ukraine’s farmers the seeds and fertilizer, grain storage facilities, and safe export routes they need to grow and sell their food.”
Russia is attacking the country's farmland and agricultural export infrastructure. On May 1, Deputy Administrator Coleman announced an additional $60 million to help mitigate the impact of Russia’s war on agricultural production in Ukraine and accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery.
A plentiful supply of energy is essential to a well-functioning economy. Putin knows that, and so is attempting “to weaponize that fact by targeting Ukraine’s electrical grid and its heating systems,” said Deputy Administrator Coleman. USAID will provide more than $190 million to the “Securing Power, Advancing Resilience and Connectivity” project, which will provide urgently needed energy assistance to the Government of Ukraine over five years. These funds are in addition to the nearly one billion dollars the United States has already provided to Ukraine to “keep its lights on and its heat running.”
The United States has “a single goal: to enable Ukraine not only to win the war, but … to win the future,” said Deputy Administrator Coleman. “We desire, and have confidence that we will see, a future Ukraine defined by the prosperity and dignity only a strong and resilient economy can provide.”
