A landmark conference on Ukraine's post-war reconstruction opened on Thursday in Gdansk, Poland. The event began under heavy security after uncertainty over whether it would take place.
The conference opened amid an unprecedented spat and brewing row testing Poland's alliance with Ukraine. Both presidents were absent, with President Volodymyr Zelensky snubbing the event over a diplomatic row and weeks of squabbling over historical differences with Warsaw.
Kyiv's delegation was instead headed by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who struck a friendly tone and avoided mentioning the historical disagreements. In addition to reconstruction initiatives, attention at the event will focus on efforts to ease the increasingly strained bilateral relations.