"On the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war, Ukraine faces the numbers of gradual economic recovery. After a historic decline of 30% in 2022, Ukraine's economy grew by 5% in 2023 and is projected to grow by 3.6% in 2024. This year, we also expect economic growth. We owe this growth primarily to the Ukrainian entrepreneurs who have resumed their activities and continue to work and develop. And, of course, to our partners who have provided us with $115 billion in direct budget support over the past three years. Among them, the largest contributor is, of course, the European Union, followed by the United States with a direct budget support contribution of $30 billion," noted the minister.
Syvyrenko emphasized that it is crucial for us to continue receiving this support from our partners. However, the focus should be on supporting the Ukrainian producer, including the implementation of programs and grants.
Among the main tasks, she mentioned the introduction and implementation of programs to overcome structural unemployment in the labor market, training and retraining of war veterans, and maintaining energy resilience for businesses.
In her opinion, the greatest challenge is the return of people to Ukraine.
"We need security guarantees. I view them from the perspective of security resilience. Without security guarantees, businesses will not invest in Ukraine. Without security guarantees, the at least 5 million people currently abroad will not return. We need to see security guarantees as prerequisites for economic growth and recovery. This is a very important element of discussing any peace agreements, and this discussion should precede all other conversations," emphasized Syvyrenko.