German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this Wednesday, June 22 to set up “
a Marshall plan
” for Ukraine, estimating that the reconstruction of the country will cost “
billions
” and will concern “
several generations
”.
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"
Like Europe devastated by the Second World War, Ukraine today needs a Marshall Plan for its reconstruction
", declared the leader during a speech to the deputies of the Bundestag before the European summits, the G7 and NATO.
“
We will need several billion euros and additional dollars for years
,” he stressed, while the question of financial aid to Kiev will be at the heart of the discussions of the allies during these meetings.
"
The truth is that we are still far from negotiations between Ukraine and Russia because Putin still believes in the possibility of being able to dictate peace
", he judged.
“The scale of the destruction is enormous”
He therefore called on Westerners to "
firmly maintain the course
" of support for Kiev through sanctions, financial assistance and "
arms deliveries
".
Olaf Scholz had traveled last week with French leaders Emmanuel Macron and Italian Mario Draghi to Ukraine where they gave their support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visited the martyred city of Irpin.
“
You can see it very clearly in the ruins of the houses of Irpin.
The scale of the destruction is enormous.
Some things reminded me of images of German cities after World War II
,” he explained.
“
Over the past 100 days, the EU has mobilized billions of dollars to help Ukraine.
Germany alone has already contributed around one billion in civilian aid since the start of the war
,” he said.
The implementation of this new "
Marshall Plan
" will only be "
possible by joining forces, in collaboration with international financial organizations, with other major donor countries and with other international organizations
", he added. he declares.
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Volodymyr Zelensky will participate by videoconference in the G7 summit, which opens this weekend in Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps, during which he will make a speech scheduled for Monday.
The Marshall Plan, named after then United States Secretary of State General George Marshall, was an American program of loans granted to the various states of Europe to help rebuild cities and installations bombed during the the Second World War.
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