Zelensky holds talks with US team on Ukraine's reconstruction, economic recovery

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that he held a "productive discussion" on Ukraine's reconstruction and economic recovery with representatives from the United States.

The video conversation, which involved U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, as well as top Ukrainian officials, marked the first meeting of the group that will work on a document concerning Ukraine's recovery, Zelensky said in a post on the social media platform X.

The participants of the meeting discussed key elements for the country's recovery efforts, various mechanisms, and visions for reconstruction, he said.

In his evening address on Wednesday, Zelensky said that "to ensure reconstruction is of high quality and economic growth is tangible after this war, real security must form the foundation."

The talks come amid shifting political statements from the United States. In a recent interview with Politico, Trump suggested that Ukraine should "start accepting things" as they are "losing the war". He also questioned Ukraine’s NATO membership prospects and expressed limited hope in European leaders resolving the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Trump's position aligns with Russia's view.

Peskov added that Russia has long called for a presidential election to be held in Ukraine and will closely monitor developments following Zelensky's statements of being ready to hold to a vote.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that European countries plan to convene a meeting on a Ukraine peace plan, stressing that Europe's security interests must be guaranteed.

Zelensky holds talks with US team on Ukraine's reconstruction, economic recovery

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting