Ukraine’s government excludes top restoration official from annual recovery conference, he resigns

Mustafa Nayyem, the head of Ukraine’s Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development, announced his resignation today, blaming systemic obstacles that prevented him from effectively performing his duties. This news comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the list of the Ukrainian delegation that will participate in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024), held on 11-12 June in Berlin and aimed at Ukraine’s reconstruction after the destruction by Russian aggression. As the head of Ukraine’s Recovery Agency, Nayyem was expected to attend the conference. The Ukrainian government stated that Mustafa Nayyem was not invited on a business trip to a conference in Berlin allegedly because a government meeting involving the Agency was scheduled for the same date, according to Ekonomichna Pravda (EP) sources in the government.  However, Nayyem told EP in a comment that he did not receive an official invitation to the government meeting and only learned about it on 9 June through the secretary. Bloomberg reported that Mustafa Nayyem would miss this year's recovery conference in Berlin due to "internal political bickering.”  Nayyem told Bloomberg that Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal personally rejected Nayyem's request for a business trip to Berlin without providing a reason.

Reasons for resignation

In his resignation statement, Mustafa Nayyem claimed that since November of 2023, the Agency's team has faced constant opposition, resistance, and the creation of artificial barriers.  One of the reasons he listed was the budget cancellation for road recovery and maintenance projects. Although Nayyem acknowledged the limited resources and the importance of military expenses, he warned that canceling infrastructure maintenance funds will inevitably affect the condition of roads of defensive importance and, consequently, all military logistics. He also stated that the Agency's salaries were substantially cut since the beginning of the year, with many employees receiving up to a 68% salary reduction. Nayyem claimed that this had led to the loss of 25% of the Agency's staff since the beginning of the year. He also noted that, as of now, the Agency simultaneously coordinates the work of 353 construction sites for restoration throughout the country. Read more: Ukraine ratifies EBRD agreement for Chornobyl restoration after occupation by Russian military in 2022 Italy to allocate €45 million for emergency restoration work on UNESCO sites in Odesa Portugal to join restoration of Ukrainian schools 83% Ukrainians link victory to full territorial restoration Russia should pay for restoration of Ukraine, US Treasury Secretary says