Trump offers Ukraine tariff-free trade zone, Witkoff says
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump (president.gov.ua)
Ukraine may receive a tariff-free trade zone with the United States after the war ends, which would significantly contribute to the country’s recovery, says US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff at the Ukraine Breakfast in Davos.
"The president (of the United States Donald Trump – ed.) has talked about a tariff free zone from Ukraine that I think would be game changing. You'll see industry moving to that area,” Witkoff said, adding that Ukraine will outcompete because it won't need to pay tariffs when shipping goods to the United States
He also emphasized that Ukrainians truly deserve an end to the war and that major efforts are currently being made to achieve this.
Ukraine’s post-war recovery
Ukraine’s recovery plan, or the prosperity deal, envisages attracting hundreds of billions of dollars for the country’s post-war reconstruction with the participation of international partners.
This concerns the rebuilding of infrastructure, energy, housing, industry, and the modernization of the economy with a focus on reforms, security, and integration into the EU.
As reported by Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s prosperity deal, which is expected to bring hundreds of billions of dollars into the Ukrainian economy for post-war reconstruction, has been agreed at the technical level.
It was expected that the United States and Ukraine would sign the Ukraine’s prosperity deal at the Davos forum. However, as Axios reported, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, plans for the signing of the document by US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy were canceled.
A US representative said that no signing date had been set and that the document requires further refinement.
