Penny Pritzker Says Ukraine’s Economy Needs Reform and Investment to Thrive

Penny Pritzker, who is leaving her position as special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery, said the country had made progress but still faced major hurdles.

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Penny Pritzker’s appointment spotlighted the Biden administration’s belief that to survive Russia’s aggression over the long term, Ukraine must show economic as well as military strength.

Ukraine has “made a lot of progress” on battling corruption, “but there’s work to do” before its economy can achieve its full potential, Penny Pritzker, the U.S. special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery, said on Monday.

Ms. Pritzker, a former U.S. commerce secretary and major Democratic Party donor, spoke in an interview as she prepared to depart the Biden administration when her one-year appointment expires.

Her appointment spotlighted the Biden administration’s belief that to survive Russia’s aggression over the long term, Ukraine must show economic as well as military strength — and that even with Russian forces still deep inside its borders, planning should begin for the country’s financial future.

Those goals are a work in progress. But Ms. Pritzker returned last week from her sixth trip to Ukraine, where she has family roots, preaching optimism about the country’s potential.

She noted that Ukraine’s economy grew by 5 percent last year and that some major companies see opportunity there. Uber has expanded its service to 18 Ukrainian cities from nine in the past year, she said, and McDonald’s has been opening new restaurants in the country.

“There’s an economy that is functioning today,” she said. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia “is trying to attack it, but they’re persevering.”

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