KYIV, May 5 - President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that while various countries will play different roles in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, those who supported Russia will be excluded from the process.

"Those who helped Russia will definitely not be involved. That's a fact. How could they help destroy, only to now profit from rebuilding? That makes no sense at all," Zelenskyy said during a media briefing.

According to the president, priority for participation in reconstruction will be given to countries that supported Ukraine during the war.

"Certainly, financial support counts providing weapons is financial assistance, whether it's arms, energy, or direct budgetary contributions to Ukraine. Many countries also directly funded specific regions, helping across the board. For example, Japan didn't provide weapons, but we're fully aware they contributed $15 billion to Ukraine's resilience, primarily in the energy sector. So there's a clear prioritization of countries, and they'll be the ones involved in the rebuilding," he explained.

Zelenskyy emphasized that this prioritization is due to the fact that "reconstruction won't be free" and therefore, European Union countries will be first in line.

"We're talking about money specifically, money from the European Union and European countries. That means EU companies will take the lead. It would seem quite strange if Europe funds the effort, but companies from other markets come in to do the rebuilding. I'm simply laying out who has priority," he said.

The United States also holds priority status. "And the Americans are absolutely right to say, 'excuse us, but why should those who didn't help be allowed to profit?' There's no altruism here, nor was any shown toward Ukraine by certain countries. This doesn't mean others are banned, but we may advise our regional authorities not to engage in joint projects with countries that offered no assistance," Zelenskyy added. (om/ez)