Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps today (Wednesday 18 January) met Swiss and Ukrainian representatives to mark the official host handover of the Ukraine Recovery Conference from Switzerland to the UK.

The Business Secretary attended the event at the World Economic Forum, Davos. Alongside Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, he held a press conference to mark the handover of the next conference from Switzerland to the UK as co-host, jointly with Ukraine.

The next Ukraine Recovery Conference will take place in London on 21 to 22 June 2023. The event is a continuation of the series of annual conferences dedicated to Ukraine’s transformation. The first took place in London in 2017 as the Ukraine Reform Conference.

This year’s conference will focus on the mobilisation of international and private sector support for the economic and social stabilisation of Ukraine.

Speaking at Switzerland House Grant Shapps said:

Our steadfast commitment to Ukraine extends to also helping them secure the financial support required to recover from the destruction so cruelly meted out by Moscow.

It was a privilege to mark the official handover of the Ukraine Recovery Conference and I have no doubt that as hosts this June, Britain will rise to the challenge of mobilising support from across the world.

Prime Minister Shmyhal noted:

We expect that the next Recovery Conference in London will make it possible to mobilize international support for Ukraine’s urgent recovery for this year. In addition, we expect that, together with our partners, we will clearly set out the provisions on what resources should be used for long-term recovery.

Swiss Federal Councillor Cassis commented:

The decisions taken in Lugano will be followed up in London.

I believe we need a compass to guide us, even in the dark times we are currently experiencing. The Lugano Declaration serves as that compass.

The 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference will be a major, high-profile event attended by senior representatives from the G7 and other international and multilateral partners, International Finance Institutions, the private sector and Civil Society.