Ukraine-Russia: Liz Truss calls for ‘Marshall Plan-style” programme to rebuild Ukraine

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called for a Marshall Plan-style programme for Ukraine, echoing the one used to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.

She told a recovery conference in Switzerland on Monday that the UK is "resolute" in its support of Ukraine's territorial integrity and will "continue to lead in supporting the Ukrainian government's reconstruction and development plan".

Ms Truss said: "This needs to be a new Marshall Plan for Ukraine and it needs to be driven by Ukraine itself.

"We will push for immediate investment and to drive economic growth because it's absolutely imperative we get the Ukrainian economy going.

"We need to be able to support Ukrainians to Ukraine, we need to give people hope about the future, and we need to give them the means to be able to support themselves."

Asked how to make the UK's support sustainable, she said "the number one thing we have to do is to help Ukraine recover its economy in the shortest possible time-frame", and open ports so the war-torn nation can export its agricultural goods.

The Marshall Plan was named for United States Secretary of State George Marshall, who in 1947 proposed that the US provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe. It was enacted in 1948 and provided more than $15 billion (£12.3 bn) to help reconstruct cities, industries and infrastructure heavily damaged during the war and to remove trade barriers between European neighbours—as well as foster commerce between those countries and the US.