This forum, supported by world leaders, senior representatives of the European Union, the G7, international organizations, financial institutions, and the private sector, aims to coordinate concrete assistance and strategic investments in key sectors in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Rama addressed this forum with a keynote speech, emphasizing Albania’s commitment to supporting Ukraine during this difficult period and contributing to the country’s post-war reconstruction process.

Rama said, “I promised to keep my speech unusually brief. My dear sister Giorgia reminded us all today that all roads lead to Rome!”

“Dear Antonio, this has been an incredible experience — a joyful, chaotic, and calm crossroads — proving to everyone that there is no place safer than Italy, where all the security and protocol divisions seem pointless.”

The Prime Minister continued, “I’m certain that Volodymyr also experienced the overwhelming spirit of humanity at Nuvola, where, for the first time since the war began, his bodyguards felt unnecessary.”

Rama added, “Albania may be a small country with limited resources and as such it cannot make a major difference on the battlefield, but we have stood and will continue to stand alongside Italy and our European friends and partners whenever and wherever Ukraine requires our support.”

“Since we were given only three minutes to speak and I want to lead by example, I’ll simply say that everyone who spoke before me—and those who will speak after—has already said enough, so I have nothing more of value to add that would spend your time,” Rama said during his speech.

The Prime Minister also honoured the memory of the late Pope Francis.

“Recently, in this city, we bid farewell to a remarkable champion of peace, Pope Francis. As we support Ukraine in its fight and reconstruction, we must keep peace at the forefront of our minds. We must not allow the idea of ‘peace’ to divide our democratic societies, alienate parts of our communities, or sow conflict among us.”

“We must not allow anyone, even outside the borders of democratic Europe, to lecture us—the European Community—about what peace and war are and how peace sounds. We are not a war-mongering community, and Ukraine is neither the aggressor nor the author of this bloody war unfolding at Europe’s doorstep, day and night. No one has a magic formula, certainly not me. Talking about peace does not stop the war, nor does it make Vladimir Putin a peacemaker,” Rama said.

In closing, Rama stated, “Although we are taking all the necessary steps not to leave Ukraine in the lurch, we won’t be strong enough to bring this war to an end or save Ukraine without a strong, courageous, and persuasive peace plan of our own. Peace is the only future that Europe can embrace. As the late Pope Francis once put it in Rome, I sense the presence not of the past, but of the future,” Rama concluded his remarks.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference is the main global event dedicated to Ukraine’s reconstruction. The Rome edition follows previous gatherings held in Lugano (2022), London (2023), and Berlin (2024). Its main goal is to sustain the momentum of mobilizing governments, the private sector, international financial institutions, local communities, and civil society to support Ukraine’s recovery, rebuilding, and modernization efforts.

This conference brought together more than 5,000 participants, including around one hundred official delegations, 40 international organizations, 2,000 companies—with roughly 500 being Italian—and hundreds of representatives from local authorities and civil society groups.

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