The restoration of Ukraine is not a local project, but a common task of the entire civilized world, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, speaking via video link at a conference on the restoration of Ukraine in Lugano.

"This war is not just ours, not just local somewhere in the east of Europe. This is Russia's attack on everything that is valuable to you and me. Therefore, the restoration of Ukraine is not a local project, not a project of one people, but a common task of the entire democratic world, all countries that can say about themselves – we are civilized," he said.

Speaking about the restoration, he noted that "of course, it means construction, large-scale construction, of course, it means huge financing and colossal investments. Of course, this means a completely new level of security throughout our country, which will continue to live next to Russia."

"But it also means a new technological level. It also means the opportunity for our countries, our companies, our specialists to show why freedom is more powerful than any tyranny," he said.

According to him, "back in the spring, we began to offer our partners to join the project of restoring Ukraine. Even then it was obvious that this would be the biggest project of our time: economic, technological, social, and most importantly – ideological."

Zelensky expressed gratitude to the countries that "positively accepted our proposals to take patronage over regions, cities or industries affected by the war." "In particular, I am grateful to Denmark for its willingness to become the chief during the restoration of the city of Mykolaiv. I am grateful to Britain for its interest in the restoration of Kyiv region. And I also invite all countries of the civilized world, ambitious companies and specialists to join our efforts," he said.

In his opinion, "this will create millions of new ties in the democratic world, in Europe, between our countries. Every city, every community, every rebuilt industry will have historical evidence of who helped this. Just imagine – it's not just the flags of the partner country at the entrance to the city, but the traditions woven into the new fabric of life in Ukraine and the heritage of all those who worked on restoration."

"And, of course, I am grateful to the European Commission for the initiative to create a special European platform for the restoration of Ukraine," he said.