The levelled Ukrainian metropolis of Mariupol will rise from the ashes a "new, modern and European" metropolis - with rebuilding work to start throughout the subsequent 12 months, its exiled Mayor pledged on Saturday night time.

“My city will be better than before, modern and beautiful, and we expect to return there this year,” mentioned Mayor Vadym Boychenko on Saturday night time from the town of Dnipro, the place he lives in exile awaiting Mariupol’s liberation from Russian forces.

And it's going to bear no remnants of its oppressive Soviet previous, he mentioned, forward of an official launch to disclose £12bn reconstruction plans.

“We have asked the people of Mariupol who now live scattered all across Ukraine. They have all said that it should not be just rebuilt but reborn. They want a European city so that Mariupol, like the rest of Ukraine, can take its place firmly in Europe once the Russians have gone," he said.

His comments come ahead of Wednesday's Ukraine Reconstruction summit in London, in which a new UK-Ukraine "TechBridge" will be unveiled.

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Mariupol was reduced to an “uninhabitable wasteland” within the first two months following final 12 months’s invasion, as Russian forces overcame powerful resistance to seize it.

According to Ukrainian estimates, half of its residential properties have been pulverised by Russian artillery and aerial bombardments, with greater than 1,000 tower blocks flattened and an extra 1,200 badly broken.

Now, new plans costing £12.5bn to rebuild the coastal metropolis are to be unveiled on the launch by “Mariupol Reborn”, to be held within the Western metropolis of Lviv on the finish of the month.

“Careful assessments of the damage have been made by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction. We assess €14.4bn worth of damage - and this doesn’t include the private sector or any environmental and ecological damage,” mentioned Mayor Boychenko.

While Britain is holding a worldwide Ukraine restoration summit in London this week, a lot of the financing for the brand new Mariupol has up to now been supplied by the US and EU.

Four architectural bureaus have been engaged by the US to ship 4 competing visions of the town, that are to be delivered by 2040.

But the primary of three levels - the £600m rebuilding of 154 infrastructure pinch factors - will start throughout the subsequent 12 months, he mentioned.

“The new Mariupol will be completely built before 2040, but we expect that the first recovery plan to begin this year. Yes, we expect to return to Mariupol this year,” he mentioned.

“Big business is very keen to return, and you can see why both it and we are optimistic.

“We are watching more villages surrounding the city being liberated, and we see how the whole world has been united to our cause.

“President Zelensky has declared that the economy and enterprise will be revived under the Ukrainian flag, and his promises are already coming to pass. “

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Ukraine Recovery Conference, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to “rebuild everything” destroyed by Vladimir Putin’s struggle.

“This will be a significant event which will unite both political and business efforts to restore our country and normal life for our people.

“The key Ukrainian principle is simple and fair, namely: no ruins will be left in Ukraine.

“We will rebuild everything, restore everything, and we know exactly what steps need to be taken in what timeframe and with what forces to defeat Russian aggression and rebuild our country.

“When the ruins disappear, it is not just the aggressor who loses, but the idea of aggression itself. And it will happen.”

Though Britain is up to now taking part in no direct position in Mariupol’s reconstruction, London’s summit can be key to securing extra funding for the town.

The convention, being held on Wednesday and Thursday, goals to mobilise worldwide assist for Ukraine’s economic and social stabilisation and recovery from the effects of war, including through emergency assistance for immediate needs and financing private sector participation in the reconstruction process.

One initiative will include a new UK-Ukraine TechBridge, to be launched by Business and Trade Minister Nusrat Ghani in partnership with the Government of Ukraine.

The TechBridge will provide a physical space to bring together the UK and Ukrainian innovators, entrepreneurs and the technology and financing industries to foster greater collaboration to drive forward recovery and reconstruction. The centre will also offer training, upskilling and business support across the tech sector.

The initiative, first proposed before Russia's full-scale invasion, has gained momentum in latest months because it grew to become clear it may present important alternatives to companies attempting to rebuild and develop in Ukraine.

The UK may even launch a £10 million InnovateUkraine Green Energy Challenge Fund on the summit.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will say: “Ukraine’s bravery on the battlefield must be matched by the vision of the private sector to help the country rebuild and recover. Time and time again, Ukraine has shown its ability to rapidly harness innovation and creativity, and I know its recovery will be no different.

“The illegal invasion of Ukraine has devastated businesses and livelihoods throughout the country, but it has not destroyed the ingenuity or determination of the Ukrainian people.

“A financially stronger, technologically advanced Ukraine will bolster its ability to drive Russia back behind its borders and build a brighter future for a sovereign and modern Ukraine of the future.”