Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made the remarks during the opening of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 (URC 2026), an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He expressed gratitude that thousands of politicians, government officials, and business leaders had come to Gdańsk to spend two days preparing a major post-war reconstruction project for Ukraine.

Tusk noted that he had proposed Gdańsk as the venue for the conference because of the city’s deep symbolic significance.

The Polish Prime Minister recalled that the historic center of Gdańsk was almost completely destroyed during World War II. He stressed that “the miracle of reconstruction happens when people truly desire it, when they are able to secure peace, and when they are determined to do good.”

Tusk emphasized that Gdańsk was fully rebuilt after the war and became one of the world’s finest examples of large-scale reconstruction, not only in architectural terms.

“Ukraine faces a similarly immense task. All of us here, in Ukraine and across Europe, believe that Ukraine will repel Russian aggression and that our plans to rebuild Ukraine are not a mirage. When we say that we will rebuild Ukraine’s destroyed cities together after the war, we say it because we believe it will happen after the war, and it will happen thanks to our solidarity,” Tusk said.

He also stressed that reconstruction is about more than houses, power plants, schools, and infrastructure.

“Reconstruction is also about what is within us. Ukraine rightly wants to be part of a united Europe. Understanding one’s own history and possessing a genuine ability and willingness to reconcile have always been prerequisites for unity,” Tusk noted.

He pointed out that World War II began in Gdańsk and seemed destined to divide nations forever. Yet after the war, Germans, French, Poles, and other peoples were able to reconcile and build a common future together.

“We must speak honestly about the past so that the future looks entirely different. Let us remember this: my fellow countrymen in Poland, yours, Yuliia [addressing Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko], in Ukraine, and everyone in Europe – we can build the future only on truth and mutual respect,” Tusk concluded.

As reported by Ukrinform, the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) opened in Gdańsk, Poland, on June 25.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced in Gdańsk that the European Union would transfer to Ukraine the first tranche of macro-financial assistance under a support loan program for 2026–2027.

The conference is taking place against the backdrop of deteriorating Ukrainian-Polish relations. Earlier reports indicated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to attend URC 2026.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided on June 19 to revoke Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle. On June 20, Zelensky said he had returned the decoration to the Polish President by mail. He emphasized that Ukraine remains open to all meaningful forms of cooperation with its partners.

Photo: Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland