Decoding the news. As a ceasefire in Ukraine remains elusive, concrete initiatives are multiplying, and the Rome edition of the Ukraine Recovery Conference aims to move beyond declarations and define a potential new European standard.
- The two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025, which ended on Friday in Rome, marked a turning point as for the first time, the security dimension is explicitly integrated into Ukraine’s economic recovery plans.
- Supporting Kyiv now means investing in dual-use sectors like infrastructure, technology, and defence.
- The 2025 edition, the fourth since 2022, brought over 200 deals worth around €10 billion under discussion.
The big picture. It is “a positive sign” that under the Italian presidency, the Ukraine Recovery Conference included two panels focused on dual-use technologies and defence industries as part of economic development, said Lesia Ogryzko, board member of RISE Ukraine and visiting fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations.
- “Nevertheless, it still seems that the reconstruction community and those working on defence and security remain largely separate worlds, with little interaction, despite the obvious interdependence.”
- Ogryzko noted that this integration of recovery and security could become the signature of Italy’s approach.
Between the lines. John Edward Herbst, former US Ambassador to Kyiv, noted in an op-ed for our sister magazine Formiche that despite the war, real economic opportunities exist for Western companies in AI, drones, agriculture, and energy. However, concrete risk insurance mechanisms are needed to unlock potential.
- Herbst concluded that “the reconstruction process could benefit from fewer solemn proclamations and more concrete steps.”
Italian angle. Italian defence giant Leonardo and Enav, the government-controlled company operating as an exclusive supplier of civil air navigation services in the Italian airspace, will partner with the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise to restore the national air traffic control system—a key initiative under the “Ukraine Air Traffic Management Restoration and Recovery Plan.”
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opened the conference alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was joined for the first time by a special US special presidential envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg.
- According to Teresa Coratella, deputy director of ECFR Rome office, Meloni seized the URC opportunity to bolster her multilateral and international profile and demonstrate strategic ambition.
What we’re watching. Whether other European and international stakeholders will adopt the Rome-promoted link between defence and reconstruction.
- The real impact of the agreements signed: Italy aims to move beyond the model of conferences full of promises but short on delivery.
