(Washington) US President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he had appointed billionaire and former Commerce Minister Penny Pritzker as special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s economy, ravaged by the Russian invasion.
“Together with the Ukrainian government,” as well as U.S. allies, international financial institutions and the private sector, Mr.me Pritzker “will lead U.S. efforts to help rebuild Ukraine’s economy,” the president said in a statement.
This wealthy businesswoman who was a minister under the Obama administration and comes from an influential family – her brother is the governor of Illinois – will have to “help the Ukrainian government undertake the reforms necessary to strengthen its economy”, according to Mr. Biden.
This is a priority for the American administration, at a time when concern is growing around the subject of corruption.
Mme Pritzker will be responsible for “mobilizing public and private investment, setting donor priorities, and working to open export markets and businesses forced to close by Russia’s brutal attacks,” Pritzker added. American president.
The World Bank has estimated that Ukraine will need more than $400 billion to rebuild.
In a recent report, the U.S. Agency for International Development called for a rebuild that modernizes Ukraine’s economy, strengthening the private sector as well as protections against corruption.
At a conference in London in June, the United States pledged $520 million to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, a commitment separate from the more than $43 billion provided by Washington in security aid.