Germany, EU launch work on ‘new Marshall Plan’ for Ukraine

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German and European Union leaders have gathered experts to start work on what they describe as a “new Marshall Plan” for the rebuilding of Ukraine. Tuesday’s long-planned one-day conference in Berlin comes as Russia has stepped up attacks targeting Ukrainian infrastructure. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who co-hosted the meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said he’s looking at “nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century.” That was a reference to the U.S.-sponsored plan that helped revive western European economies after World War II. Von der Leyen said the World Bank puts the cost of damage to Ukraine so far at 350 billion euros ($345 billion).