SCOOP: International coalition looks at what's next for Ukraine at conference
Poland has a bigger role in Ukraine's future than many might think at first. Here's why.
As President Donald Trump presses for peace between Russia and Ukraine, an international coalition plans to convene in Washington, D.C. to discuss what comes next Ukraine after peace comes to the region.
The Ukraine Reconstruction Summit 2025 (URS2025) aims to serve as a turning point in how the world approaches post-war recovery of Ukraine, with the country at the crossroads of resilience and renewal.
The conference comes as American attention is on the region. Poland’s new conservative president, Karol Nawrocki, recently visited with Trump at the White House — and Nawrocki’s allies aim to bolster ties between the two trailblazing conservative leaders.
Just as how those two leaders reaffirmed the importance of an American presence in Poland, attendees at URS2025 — who organizers tell the Washington Reporter will include participants from America, Poland, Ukraine, and beyond — aim to focus on Poland’s role in particular as a “gateway to Ukraine and a co-leader in the reconstruction process.”
Trump’s recent successes in brokering peace deals across the world are front and center to organizers, as well. They aim to create a “Trump-style” platform at the conference with what they termed a “peace-first vision,” which will build on the Trump administration’s successes in building economic interdependence in the Middle East.
On the American side, one of the key participants is Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt; in the leadup to the event, he spoke about his vision of channeling the same strategy that once brought together Fortune 500 CEOs to spark lasting economic cooperation in regions long defined by conflict.
URS2025’s chair, Alexander Szkaradek, told the Reporter that he wants to ensure that the summit is more about action than about talking — which is why he and his team prioritized inviting international donors, governments, international funds, and beyond.
A review of the convention’s schedule shows a series of sector-specific sessions on energy grid modernization, modular housing, green logistics corridors, digital infrastructure, agricultural innovation, workforce reintegration, defense, AI, and large-scale infrastructure — both in Ukraine and across U.S.–Poland industrial partnerships.
Without Nawrocki’s victory in Poland’s recent national elections, URS2025’s mission would be far more difficult; but with Trump and Nawrocki forming a partnership against American adversaries, organizers are hopeful that businesses across the world will be able to take advantage of Poland’s full European Union (EU) member status to do well while also doing good.