Zelensky says reconstruction of Ukraine goes beyond "the restoration of the walls that we had"

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed a "very important day" in his nightly televised address to the nation on Monday as a meeting on Ukraine's reconstruction began in Lugano, Switzerland.

But he said rebuilding Ukraine should go beyond "restoring our walls destroyed by shelling".

"Ukraine has to be the freest, most modern and safest country in Europe - in every way, especially in terms of our environment. I'm sure we will," he said.

Zelensky warned that reconstruction efforts should not only focus on the next few years, but also on the present.

“The Ukrainian army has liberated more than 1,000 settlements from the occupiers, and new ones are being added every week. Now, for example, in the south of our country. There is a lot of damage. This also means a huge amount of money is needed. to restore infrastructure, restore medicines and social services, restore normal economic life. Tens of thousands of houses have been destroyed in the liberated areas alone,” he said, adding that “a large part of the economy has been destroyed.”

“So the rebuilding of Ukraine is not only about what we need to do after our victory, but also what needs to be done now. We have to do it with our partners, with the whole democratic world. Do it now,” he said.

Zelensky concluded his speech by congratulating U.S. President Joe Biden and the American people on Independence Day, saying it would take "superhuman effort" to deal with Russia's daily offensive.

"But we have no choice — it's about our independence, it's about our future, it's about the fate of the entire Ukrainian people," he said.