On April 6,  U.S.-Ukraine Business Council members participated in the event "Reconstructing Ukraine’s Infrastructure", organized by Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy (CPIP), hosted by American Enterprise Institute.

 Richard Geddes hosted a distinguished panel of experts, including EY-Parthenon’s Natalie Jaresko, Columbia University’s Matthew Murray, AEI’s Rob Portman, and Brunswick Group’s Robert Zoellick, to discuss how to reconstruct Ukraine using innovative methods and how to finance such a sizable undertaking.

Ms. Jaresko emphasized the extent of the damage that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused to the country’s infrastructure, including housing, rail lines, energy plants, bridges, and other vital pieces of infrastructure that the Ukrainian people urgently need restored.

Mr. Zoellick spoke about some of the potential challenges of the massive endeavor of rebuilding Ukraine, how to boost private investment in the country, and why the G7 should transfer approximately $300 billion of Russian official sovereign assets.

Mr. Murray spoke about how to strengthen institutions in Ukraine first and how to tap into the country’s strong civil society to support the reconstruction project.

Sen. Portman remarked on the importance of the US giving both military and economic aid to Ukraine and how this is in the United States’ best interests for years to come.

Dr. Geddes fielded several questions to the panelists, particularly focusing on the role of private-sector companies in rebuilding Ukraine.

U.S.-Ukraine Business Council Members also participated in the private lunch prior to the panel discussion.

The video recording of this session is available by the LINK

CPIP is a member of U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC)