Patronage programmes by other states, patronage over regions and cities that have suffered from Russian terror and need to be restored, are a help to decentralisation in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a meeting with Ukrainian ambassadors on 2 August.
"The priority is the economy and recovery. The more jobs we manage to save and create in our country, the stronger we will all be. Every new investment in Ukraine now is one more step towards our victory. Paying taxes and excise duties in Ukraine is a very concrete help to our soldiers and our defence. Every new technology that comes to Ukraine works to save the lives of Ukrainians. All the programmes of patronage, patronage over regions and cities that have been hit by Russian terror and need to be restored are assistance. Assistance to the real, practical decentralisation of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, there are already very good examples in Mykolayiv Region in cooperation with Denmark, in Zhytomyr Region in cooperation with the Baltic countries, in Dnipro in cooperation with the Czech Republic, where local authorities work directly with partners.
"Your task is to have more patronage, more countries, more patronage for regions, for cities, towns, Ukraine, more new technologies, more new investments. Find a hundred of the most reputable companies in the country. And by the end of the year, secure decisions on investments in Ukraine or memoranda of understanding to start working in Ukraine, when conditions allow it. But it should be something very concrete. Take a hundred of the largest philanthropists in the country and organise their visit to Ukraine. The world needs to see what is happening here. Be active with business associations, they need to know what our country offers. What resources, production, technologies. They should know everything about our post-war transformation project in Ukraine. And your task is to do everything possible to expand duty-free access of Ukrainian goods to the markets of partner countries," the president explained.