CORRECTS - UPDATE - Russia-Ukraine war has united Europe, NATO: Ukraine's president

CORRECTS NAME OF SWISS PRESIDENT'S NAME IN 8TH,11TH PARAGRAPHS

​​​​​​​UPDATES WITH COMMENTS BY SWISS PRESIDENT, EU COMMISSION CHIEF, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY; ADDS DETAILS; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - Ukraine's president said Monday that the war Russia launched in Ukraine on Feb. 24 had united his country, sped up reforms, and united Europe and the NATO military alliance.

"Thanks to this reform of ours, we have actualized every of the basic value of Europe, just like the support of NATO countries implies that we have united the (NATO) Alliance," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He said people had become united for democracy thanks to what was happening in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president said that since the war started, thousands of educational establishments had been destroyed, including schools, universities, and kindergartens.

He said people had become united for democracy thanks to what was happening in Ukraine.

The president also said: "This unity has not been seen for thousands of years, and the reconstruction of Ukraine will also become our greatest reform."

- 'Trying to destroy Ukraine'

Zelenskyy noted that Russia was trying to destroy Ukraine, "and the Russian army is using artillery against kindergartens … a deliberate destruction of education space, a space where the socialization of the children takes place when they learn to be human."

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis opened the conference, saying: "Russia's act of aggression against Ukraine has forced us to unite and face up to this war with all the determination that we can muster and commit ourselves to support the sorely tried Ukrainian people on the long road to sustainable recovery."

Leaders and foreign ministers from at least 38 countries and international organizations converged on the Swiss town of Lugano on Monday to forge a roadmap for Ukraine's reconstruction after Russia's full-scale war began in February.

Among those who arrived in Lugano for the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference amid tight security were Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

Cassis met with von der Leyen at the conference hall before meeting with Shmyhal on the banks of Lake Lugano in Switzerland's Italian-speaking region.

The Swiss president said: "A prerequisite for success is that the original plan for the conference focuses on institutional reforms and the current plan focuses on reconstruction form a whole."

"The original program for the annual Ukraine reform conference was well on track, and I share the assessment that Ukraine's resilience is due in no small part to the reforms that have been then implemented."

- UK to hold next conference

Britain's Foreign Secretary Truss said the UK has committed to hosting next year's Ukraine reconstruction conference.

"The number one thing we have to do is to help Ukraine recover its economy in the shortest possible timeframe," said Truss.

Von der Leyen said: "With our support, our Ukrainian friends can rebuild Ukraine, not just as it was, but as its young people want it to be.

"I know this may sound overly ambitious as Russian bombs keep falling, shattering not only schools and hospitals but also countless lives. But all of us know by now that nothing is impossible to the brave people of Ukraine."

International institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are also participating.

Achim Steiner, the administrator of the UN Development Program, was leading the UN delegation.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi was present, while World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus was also expected to attend.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said: "The Ukraine Reform Conference … has been renamed the Ukraine Recovery Conference to reflect the new focus of the gathering."