Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Registration required | Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Recovery & the Future of Europe brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to reflect on post-war reconstruction, security challenges, governance, humanitarian recovery, and Ukraine’s role in the future of Europe. The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and a roundtable with international experts working on Ukraine, European security, and post-conflict transformation.

Organised by: KIU / European University Viadrina, Freie Universität Berlin, Kyiv School of Economics & The Ukraine Foundation.

To register, please email: kiu-communications@europa-uni.de

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Russia’s full-scale invasion has been the major economic and humanitarian shock for Ukraine since its independence and has transformed Ukraine’s reality and Europe’s strategic environment. More than 20% of Ukraine’s territory remains occupied; direct infrastructural damages exceed USD 176 billion, and total recovery and reconstruction needs amount to over USD 524 billion — more than 2.5 times Ukraine’s 2024 GDP. These figures illustrate the unprecedented scale of destruction, but also the magnitude of the task ahead.

The humanitarian toll is equally grave. Ukraine’s military casualties are reported to be approaching 500,000, with 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed. Over 12,000 civilians have been killed, 30,000 injured, and more than 10 million displaced — including about 7 million refugees abroad and over 3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Thousands of schools, hospitals, and homes have been destroyed. Beyond physical losses, Ukraine faces a deep human crisis affecting education, mental health, and social cohesion.

At the same time, the war has exposed Europe’s own security vulnerabilities. Ukraine’s defense, reconstruction, and institutional resilience have become inseparable from the security architecture of Europe itself. Strengthening Ukraine’s state capacity and defense capabilities is a direct investment in the stability of the European continent.

However, Ukraine cannot rebuild alone. The country faces an annual wartime financing gap of about USD 40 billion, with only around 60 percent currently covered. Sustainable recovery will require long-term, predictable, and coordinated international financial support, leveraging frozen Russian assets, donor funds, and private investment. The coordination between humanitarian aid, reconstruction finance, and defense assistance will determine whether recovery efforts succeed. Despite this, Ukraine continues to advance its EU accession and reform agenda, aligning reconstruction with the EU acquis and sustainability objectives. The country’s determination to rebuild under fire embodies both resilience and a vision for a democratic, secure, and integrated future in Europe.

This conference seeks to foster a cross-disciplinary dialogue — bringing together economists, political scientists, sociologists and humanities scholars and practitioners — to explore how Ukraine’s reconstruction can simultaneously address security, human recovery, and financial sustainability, forging a shared vision for Europe’s future with Ukraine at its heart.

Conference Programme

9:30 a.m. – Registration opens

10:10 a.m. – Welcoming 

10:15 - 11:45 a.m. – Morning Session I – Security & Economic Resilience

Theme: From Destruction to Deterrence: Ukrainian Rebuilding & European Security

 Speakers

• Julia Langbein (The Centre for East European and International Studies)
• Oleh Nivievskyi (Kyiv School of Economics / European University Viadrina)
• Theocharis Grigoriadis (Freie Universität Berlin)
• Maryna Vorotnyuk (Ukraine Foundation / Royal United Services Institute)
• Iryna Andrukh (Ukraine Foundation)

 12.00 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. – Morning Session II – Governance & Accountability in Reconstruction 

Theme: Institutions Under Fire: Reconstruction Governance & Domestic Reforms

 

Speakers:

• Garry Poluschkin (Berlin Economics)
• Konrad Sobański (Poznan University of Economics and Business, KIU Fellow)
• Mykhailo Minakov (European University Viadrina)
• Maksym Nefiodov (Kyiv School of Economics — online)
• Julie Rushin (Ukraine Foundation)

 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. – Lunch 

 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. – Keynote Speech by Dr. John M. (Jack) Albertine (Ukraine Foundation) 

Theme: Business in Conflict & Post-Conflict

 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. – Roundtable 

Theme: Conflict Resolution vs. an Open-Ended War

Speakers:

• Susann Worschech (European University Viadrina)
• Roderich Kiesewetter (Member of the German Bundestag)
• Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (European Parliament)
• Pierre Andrieu (French MFA / Asia Society / Ukraine Foundation)
• Louis Voiron (Ukraine Foundation)
• Ukrainian Embassy Berlin

5:30 - 6:00 p.m. – Summary: Wrap-up of the Conference