BRUSSELS, September 9. /TASS/. The European Commission (EC), the authorities in Kiev and the World Bank estimate that the reconstruction of Ukraine currently costs $349 bln, the EC reported on Friday.

A joint statement published on the EC website reads that "the government of Ukraine, the European Commission, and the World Bank, in cooperation with partners, estimate that the current cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine amounts to $349 billion. This figure is expected to grow in the coming months as the war continues."

The report spans the period from February 24 through June 1, 2022. The statement explains that the necessary amount is "more than 1.5 times the 2021 GDP of Ukraine." The document states that "US$105 billion (€105 billion) is needed to address urgent needs such as restoring education and health systems and infrastructure, preparing for the upcoming winter through restoration of heating and energy to homes, support to agriculture, and repair of vital transport routes" over the next 36 months.

The sides stressed that these figures were "preliminary, and damage and needs should be considered as minimums."

Earlier, the World Bank assessed the damage to Ukraine's buildings and infrastructure as worth $60 bln. That said, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that it would take at least $600 bln for Ukraine to recover at a video summit of executive directors organized by the Wall Street Journal on May 3.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.