Ukraine offers partners to introduce special taxes on Russian energy, raw materials – PM

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during the presentation of the World Bank’s Fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4) for Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“I emphasized that the aggressor’s funds should work for Ukraine. We insist on the full confiscation of Russian immobilized assets. At the same time, we can see that the reconstruction needs already exceed the amount of the frozen Russian assets. I proposed that the partner countries introduce special taxes on Russian energy and raw materials after the war,” Shmyhal noted.

In this way, according to Shmyhal, three important goals will be achieved at once. In particular, the aggressor will be forced to pay for the damage; Ukraine will obtain substantial funds for reconstruction purposes; and this will set a precedent to protect potential victims of aggression in the future.

“I thank all our partners who are already helping us to rebuild. I call on countries, communities and private business to join Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts more actively,” Shmyhal added.

The Prime Minister emphasized that housing remains one of priorities for the Ukrainian government in terms of reconstruction. Another priority is the energy sector.

“In a year, the number of damaged or destroyed assets increased by 93%. These are colossal losses that we are replacing in real time,” Shmyhal said.

Among the priorities, Shmyhal also mentioned critical infrastructure.

“Last year we restored 155 schools, 124 health facilities, and implemented 640 infrastructure projects,” the Prime Minister explained.

A reminder that, following the World Bank’s Fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4), Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction needs over the next decade will amount to USD 524 billion, which is USD 38 billion higher compared to the previous estimate.

Photo: Denys Shmyhal, Telegram