US Presidential Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that international partners should help rebuild Ukraine by launching a new "Marshall" plan for the country, Ukrinform reported, BTA reported.
He said this at a discussion organized by the "Yalta European Strategy" initiative and the "Victor Pinchuk" foundation, ahead of the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Rome today.
Kellogg stressed the importance of rebuilding Ukraine, recalling how the US implemented the "Marshall" plan in Europe after the end of World War II. He said that in his opinion the same approach should be applied to Ukraine, although he warned that the task would be extremely difficult.
He noted that the situation is currently very complicated and stressed the need for a ceasefire. Kellogg praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team for their thoughtful and prudent leadership.
The diplomat stressed that a ceasefire could indeed end the war and that Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire, but that it was a unilateral step.
Kellogg turned his attention to the issue of the return of Ukrainian children. He said that US President Donald Trump was deeply concerned about this issue and in his talks with Zelensky insisted that this should be a topic in negotiations with Russia - something the Ukrainian leader agreed to.
Later today, Kiev's European partners will present a fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine during their meeting in Rome to discuss additional support, DPA reported. According to German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan, the fund will be supported by Germany, Italy, Poland, France and the European Commission. The meeting will also be attended by the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.