Zelenskiy, Wall Street executives hold talks on Ukraine's reconstruction

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy has met with ​senior Wall Street executives as ​Kyiv seeks to attract investments ‌to ​help finance the country's rebuilding efforts. The meeting, which took place on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 81st ‌United Nations General Assembly in New York City, focused mainly around areas such as helping Ukraine get through the winter and supporting its economy, the Ukrainian ‌government said.

Ukraine faces a brutal winter as stepped-up Russian strikes on its infrastructure ‌and key export industries deepen the country's budget crisis. The daily cost of the war grew to about $190 million this year. The meeting, attended by more than two dozen US ⁠companies, was ​facilitated by US ⁠banking giant Citigroup and the US Chamber of Commerce.

Participants also discussed setting up a sovereign ⁠wealth fund and strengthening Ukraine's economy with support from members of the International Advisory Group, ​the Ukrainian government said. "The private sector will play an essential role in ⁠the country's reconstruction," Citi CEO Jane Fraser said in a statement.

Citi, which has been in Ukraine for ⁠more ​than 25 years, said it was looking to help mobilize investment and support Ukrainian companies. Other attendees included executives from BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Lazard, Macquarie, State ⁠Street, Jane Street, Fairfax and McKinsey & Company.

Representatives of the US Chamber of Commerce, ⁠US International Development ⁠Finance Corporation, World Bank, European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development also participated.