Zelenskiy, Wall St execs discuss Ukraine reconstruction

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Kyiv authorities say homes, warehouses and dozens of cars have been damaged in a Russian attack.
Kyiv authorities say homes, warehouses and dozens of cars have been damaged in a Russian attack.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met with senior Wall Street executives as he seeks to attract ‌investments to help finance the country’s rebuilding efforts.

The meeting, which took place ‌on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly ‌in New York City, focused mainly around areas such as helping Ukraine get through the northern hemisphere winter and supporting its economy, the Ukrainian government said.

Ukraine faces a brutal winter as stepped-up Russian strikes on its ‌infrastructure and ‌key export ⁠industries deepen the country’s budget crisis.

The daily ​cost of the war grew to about $US190 million ($A271 million) this year.

The meeting, attended by more than two dozen US companies, was facilitated by US banking giant Citigroup and the US Chamber of Commerce.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met with the heads of firms including BlackRock and State Street. (AP PHOTO)

Participants also ⁠discussed setting up a sovereign ‌wealth fund ​and strengthening Ukraine’s economy with support from members of the International ​Advisory Group, the ‌Ukrainian government said.

“The private sector will play an essential role ​in the country’s reconstruction,” Citi CEO Jane Fraser said in a statement.

Citi, which has been in Ukraine for more than ​25 ​years, said it was looking ​to help mobilise investment and support ‌Ukrainian companies.

Other attendees included executives from BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Lazard, Macquarie, State Street, Jane Street, Fairfax and McKinsey & Company.

Representatives of the US Chamber of Commerce, US International Development Finance Corporation, World Bank, European Investment ​Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also participated.

Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and Ukraine’s northeast killed eight people on Thursday in attacks that ‌included a maternity hospital and a farm, officials said.

Two people died in the latest assault on Kyiv, Zelenskiy said on Telegram.

“As people were sleeping, flashes from explosions lit up the sky,” Zelenskiy added.

“Once again, the main targets of their strike were Kyiv and civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy infrastructure, and logistics.”

Police said nine homes, a post office, warehouses and dozens of cars were ‌also damaged in Kyiv.

Reuters