Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, stated on Tuesday that the international community must act fast to assist the Ukrainians in rebuilding their country, adding that the EU is prepared to coordinate reconstruction efforts through a secretariat.

"We cannot afford to squander time, as the scope of the destruction is astonishing. The World Bank estimates the damage to be around 350 billion euros ($348 billion) "She spoke at a Berlin conference for Ukraine's rehabilitation.

Von der Leyen stated that an international coordination platform for the reconstruction must be established "as soon as feasible, preferably before the end of the year or early at the start of next year," adding that the EU's executive Commission is prepared to supply the platform's secretariat.