The URC 2026 Conference on Ukraine's Recovery in Gdańsk attracted nearly twice as many participants as the previous URC 2025 in Rome, and also became the largest in terms of the specific agreements reached, Ukraine's Minister of Economy, Ecology, and Agriculture Oleksiy Soboliev said at the closing press conference.
"This is the largest URC we've ever had: nearly 8,000 participants. But it's not about the numbers; it's about how much interest there is in Ukraine… And that this conference is the most practical in history," Soboliev said.
He said 220 companies participated in the business fair, including the largest business delegation from Ukraine, consisting of 82 companies.
The minister thanked his Polish colleagues for organizing such a major event.
Among the key outcomes, he highlighted the launch of the European flagship investment fund with an initial closing of EUR 260 million, which is expected to reach approximately EUR 1 billion "in just a couple of years," as well as the first agreement with the U.S. Export-Import Bank ($300 million for Naftogaz to purchase American equipment).
Soboliev also mentioned numerous agreements with international financial institutions regarding additional financing for Ukraine: $3.39 billion from the World Bank and another "couple of billion dollars" as part of an investment program for Ukraine.
He added that this year, for the first time, the URC featured infrastructure and energy platforms, which attracted nearly $500,000 million and over $1.5 billion in additional investments in these sectors in Ukraine, respectively.
"And for the first time, we've singled out the defense sector as a separate focus area. We're also seeing a lot of interest in this," the minister said.
As for the impact of the political dispute between Poland and Ukraine in the run-up to the URC, Soboliev believes it did not significantly affect the specific results. Among other things, 15 of the 160 agreements were Ukrainian-Polish G2G deals, including those between state-owned companies and credit agencies.
"That is why I believe we have truly good and productive cooperation here," the Economy Minister said.
"This is the most popular conference, and all the high-ranking participants who planned to attend did so," he added.
Soboliev confirmed the preliminary estimate that a total of 160 agreements worth approximately EUR 9-10 billion were signed at URC 2026, including the first tranche of the EU's Ukraine Support Loan (USL) in the amount of EUR 3.2 billion.
A little later, during the conference's closing ceremony, it was announced that approximately 200 documents, agreements, declarations, contracts, and memoranda of understanding, had been signed at the event. The organizers also noted that the event was attended by about 70 official government delegations, including 19 representatives at the highest political level, as well as 38 delegations from international organizations.
Among other innovations, the minister also highlighted the think tank forum, where Ukrainian, European, and other think tanks gathered to discuss Ukraine's future.
He also highlighted the progress made at this conference toward resolving the issue of risk insurance, a process that has taken two years since URC 2024 in Berlin, and expressed confidence that the tools for such insurance will be expanded at the next conference.
According to the Minister of Economy, the Recovery Conference has already served as a catalyst for specific projects and an incentive to accelerate their implementation so that results can be reported at the next conference. As an example, he cited the construction of a plant in the Bila Tserkva Industrial Park, which was built by an Italian investor within a year after the conference in Rome.
"The URC helps us generate resources, new partnerships, and knowledge to move much faster and tackle challenges every day. I hope the next URC will be held in a time of peace," Soboliev concluded.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk became the latest in a series of international forums following previous conferences in Lugano, London, Berlin, and Rome.
At the closing ceremony, the organizers officially passed the baton for hosting the next conference to Estonia and its capital, Tallinn.
