Poland‑Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk Secures €90 bn EU Loan and Reconstruction Pacts

The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) was held in Gdańsk, Poland, attracting more than 70 national delegations, thousands of business leaders, NGOs and international organisations. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk highlighted the city’s post‑World‑War II rebirth as a symbol of what can be achieved in Ukraine’s reconstruction. Ukrainian Prime Minister Julia Swyrydenko stressed the war‑driven transformation of the country’s defence and energy sectors.

Polish Vice‑President of the Polish‑Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, Dariusz Szymczycha, called the summit a success, citing dozens of agreements, including an intention‑to‑partner deal between state arms firm PGZ and a Ukrainian drone producer and a three‑company Polish consortium (Budimex, Polimex Mostostal, Sinevia) seeking reconstruction contracts. He estimated a realistic reconstruction cost of about $200 billion over ten years, far less than other forecasts.

The European Commission announced the first disbursement of its €90 billion loan programme for Ukraine, granting €3.2 billion in budget support and earmarking roughly €6 billion for drone production. Polish investment in Ukraine during the war totals over $300 million, and Poland enjoys a trade surplus of $8‑9 billion with its neighbour. President Volodymyr Zelensky did not attend, following a diplomatic row over the naming of a Ukrainian unit as “Heroes of the UPA”.