Kyiv, Europe Brief News – McDonald’s has announced that it will start reopening some of its restaurants in Ukraine in the coming months.
The fast food giant said on Thursday that some restaurants will gradually reopen in the capital, Kyiv, and western Ukraine.
McDonald’s closed its Ukrainian restaurants after Russia’s invasion nearly six months ago but has continued to pay more than 10,000 employees in the country.
The latest news is a symbol of the war-torn country’s return to some sense of normalcy and a show of support after McDonald’s pulled out of Russia.
Other Western companies like Nike, KFC and Spanish clothing retailer Mango are already doing business in western Ukraine, away from the fighting.
“We’ve spoken extensively to our employees who have expressed a strong desire to return to work and see our restaurants in Ukraine reopen,” said Paul Pomroy, corporate senior vice president of international operated markets.
“In recent months, the belief that this would support a small but important sense of normalcy has grown stronger,” he said in a message to employees.
The Ukrainian economy has been severely damaged by the war and restarting businesses, even in a limited capacity, would help. The International Monetary Fund expects Ukraine’s economy to shrink by 35% this year.
