Ukraine’s Deputy Minister Riabykin says EU preparedness is being tested

Brussels – “In Ukraine, it is not only resilience that is being put to the test, but also the European Union’s preparedness model.” With these words, today (7 May), Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Community and Territorial Development, Oleksii Riabykin, addressed the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions. For Riabykin, preparedness means “acting together, thinking together, and planning systematically without losing our way.” In this context, “shared solutions” are needed because “unity and joint action define our strength.”

The figures are stark. “It is estimated that the cost of rebuilding Ukraine amounts to $588 billion“, Riabykin noted, citing the estimate from the fifth joint Rapid Damange and Needs Assessment (RDNA5), conducted by the Ukrainian government, the World Bank, the European Commission, and the UN, which provides a series of estimates to rapidly assess material damage, economic losses, and reconstruction needs following disasters or conflicts. As for the country attacked by Moscow, the data make clear that, as of 31 December 2025, the total reconstruction cost over the next decade is $588 billion (over 500 billion euros), which is nearly three times Ukraine’s estimated nominal GDP for 2025. On this point, in March 2026, the World Bank said that “housing, transport, and energy sectors are most affected by the
war” and that “damage, losses, and needs remain concentrated in frontline
oblasts and major metropolitan areas.” In particular, in Ukraine, 14 per cent of the housing stock has been damaged or destroyed, affecting around three million households. As for reconstruction costs, however, transport will be the most expensive (over $96 billion), followed by the energy sector (almost $91 billion), construction (almost $90 billion), industry and commerce (over $63 billion), and the agricultural sector (over $55 billion). In addition to the World Bank, the European Parliament also addressed the issue through a working paper commissioned by the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets.

“This is an experience that cannot be simulated, but only lived,” Riabykin noted. He, however, issued a clear warning to European regions and territories: “Let us not put off the future; let us create it now,” he said. Meanwhile, to strengthen international support for the country’s reconstruction, the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) will be held in Gdańsk on 25 and 26 June 2026, where “real and concrete solutions will be presented,” Riabykin concluded.