Ukraine Recovery Conference Sees Record Deals Despite Zelensky-Nawrocki Feud

What happened

The Kyiv Independent reports that Ukraine’s largest annual business and economics event, the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), drew a record 7,500 participants on June 25–26 in Gdansk, Poland, up from 5,000–6,000 last year. Officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs, economists, activists, and journalists gathered to focus on Ukraine’s post-war economic recovery despite an ongoing diplomatic row between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Poland’s Karol Nawrocki.

President Zelensky did not attend the conference amid the feud, which involved Nawrocki not being invited, but the political tension did not overshadow the event. Polish companies dominated the business fair, and over 15 agreements between Poland and Ukraine were signed. Wojciech Kostrzewa, president of the Polish Business Roundtable, told the Kyiv Independent that the conference’s focus remained on collaboration between the private and public sectors to mobilize capital and build business ties.

Highlighted agreements included ventures in defense technology, with Ukrainian startup Skyfall partnering with Polish state development bank Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego to access EU financing. In energy, Ukraine’s Kovel Porto Industrial Park signed a deal with Polish company Hanplast to develop a solar power plant and energy storage system. The conference saw around 160 agreements valued at more than $10 billion, including a $3.4 billion conditional deal with the World Bank and a tranche from a larger 90-billion-euro loan.

Known from the source

• Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 held June 25–26 in Gdansk, Poland.
• Record attendance of approximately 7,500 people compared to 5,000–6,000 last year.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky did not attend due to a dispute involving Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was not invited.
• Over 15 agreements signed between Poland and Ukraine during the conference.
• Approximately 160 agreements valued at more than $10 billion were signed at the conference.

What remains unclear

The conference concentrated on three key sectors: energy, infrastructure, and defense tech—Ukraine’s fastest-growing industry. Ukraine’s government also introduced 18 flagship "Economy of the Future" projects, including a wind farm and a graphite mine. The URC has evolved into a pragmatic platform to connect Ukrainian firms with European institutions and investors, according to Gennadiy Chyzhykov, president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

What remains unclear: Verification of exact amounts and conditions of all signed agreements. Confirmation of Zelensky’s reasons for absence and Nawrocki’s non-invitation. The actual impact of political tensions on the level and spirit of cooperation at the conference. Clarification on the status and terms of the World Bank conditional agreement.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: Kyiv Independent. Open the source.