Vice Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba, together with First Deputy Minister Alyona Shkrum, met with the Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine Carlo Formosa, Special Envoy of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Reconstruction and Resilience of Ukraine Davide La Cecilia, President of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio, and Mayor of Turin Stefano Lo Russo on the sidelines of the 3rd International Summit of Cities and Regions.
The meeting focused on preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome (URC 2025) and continued work on existing joint initiatives.
“I thank our Italian colleagues for maintaining constant dialogue as we prepare for this year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome. This is critically important—we want the conference to be as productive as possible and to result in new solutions and concrete projects that will contribute to Ukraine’s recovery,” said Oleksii Kuleba.
He emphasized the importance of working with communities:
“The resilience and capacity of local self-governments are key to the implementation of many projects. Communities know their needs and can plan accordingly. That is why, together with Italy, we have already conducted a number of preparatory activities for URC, involving representatives from both Ukrainian and Italian local authorities.”
Kuleba also highlighted that the Ministry welcomes Italy’s regional partnerships with various Ukrainian regions and is interested in expanding cooperation between Italian and Ukrainian cities.
In June 2024, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Berlin to support the reconstruction of the city of Odesa and Odesa Region.
Currently, preparations are underway for the first meeting of the Supervisory Committee, during which the list of projects developed by the Ministry and the Italian side will be approved for implementation.
Planned projects within the Odessa recovery partnership include:
- Construction of a regional children’s hospital
- Restoration and preservation of Odessa’s cultural heritage
- Rehabilitation and reconstruction of irrigation systems
To date, six Memorandums of Partnership have been signed between Ukrainian and Italian cities and regions:
- Kharkiv – Emilia-Romagna
- Kyiv Region – Tuscany
- Odessa Region – Veneto
- Zaporizhzhia – Lombardy
- Sumy Region – Abruzzo
- Kherson Region – Liguria
Another seven agreements are currently being prepared.
