US officials meet with deputy PM, check aid spending

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, head of Ukraine's infrastructure projects, said on Jan. 29 that following bilateral meetings with inspectors from the US Department of Defense, the State Department, and the US Agency for International Development, the Ukrainian side proposed creating an aid audit mechanism to “ensure transparency in the use of partners' aid.”

The funds that Ukraine receives for infrastructure repairs and post-war reconstruction should be monitored jointly with the U.S. Government Accountability Office, according to Kubrakov.

According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Russia’s war against Ukraine, including recent attacks on our infrastructure, has already cost the country's economy more than $700 billion.

On Dec. 2, the government approved merging the Infrastructure Ministry with the Ministry for the Development of Communities and Territories. Kubrakov, who served as Infrastructure Minister since May 2021, took charge of the new Ministry.