The Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 opened today, July 10, at the La Nuvola convention center in Rome. The international event, focused on Ukraine’s economic, institutional, and social reconstruction, spans two days and brings together around 3,500 participants: more than one hundred official delegations, forty international organizations, two thousand companies from thirty countries—including five hundred Italian firms—and a wide range of representatives from local authorities and civil society.
In the opening plenary session, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that commitments made during the day amount to over ten billion euros. “Investing in Ukraine means investing in ourselves,” she said. “It’s a shared responsibility that involves governments, financial institutions, businesses, and civil society. It’s a result we should all be proud of.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed that “Ukraine can count on Europe. Our support is unwavering—military, financial, and political.” She recalled that the European Union has already allocated 165 billion euros in support of Ukraine and that new agreements worth a total of 4 billion euros were signed on Wednesday. She also encouraged EU member states to procure weapons systems directly from Ukrainian defense manufacturers, describing the industry as modern, efficient, and capable of delivering quickly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking immediately after, called for urgent action to strengthen air defenses: “Every night, we’re hit by drones and missiles. We need new investments to produce interceptor drones, new missile defense systems, and next-generation protective technologies.” He went on to condemn the Kremlin’s strategy: “Putin wants our people to suffer and abandon the country. He wants to destroy our schools and hospitals. He wants to empty Ukraine.” Zelensky also reiterated his call for concrete efforts to repatriate Ukrainian children deported to Russia.
The conference focuses on investment, reform, human capital, European integration, and local development, with Italy emphasizing the role of strategic industries. The Italian government also announced a new 300-million-euro measure, managed by Simest, to support small and medium-sized enterprises involved in reconstruction projects. Alongside the main sessions, the conference features a business fair and a multilateral cooperation forum.
Among the leaders in attendance, in addition to Meloni, Zelensky, and von der Leyen, are Charles Michel, Donald Tusk, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Friedrich Merz, Edi Rama, and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska. Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer are participating remotely in a parallel meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, with whom Zelensky is expected to discuss additional defense funding.
On July 9, President Zelensky was received at the Quirinale Palace by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who reaffirmed Italy’s full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
The U.S. delegation is led by special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. No members of the current Trump administration are attending. In recent days, BlackRock announced its withdrawal from one of the major private investment initiatives aimed at Ukraine’s recovery.
