Every second company representing American business in Ukraine has been affected by russian attacks, yet they continue to operate and even expand.Andy Hunder, President of the American Chamber of Commerce, spoke during an extraordinary session on the situation in Ukraine's energy sector and economy of the Kyiv Security Forum, organized by Arseniy Yatsenyuk "Open Ukraine" Foundation.

The banking sector is operating flawlessly, which is crucial for the economy," Andy Hunder the McDonald’s in Lukyanivka, Kyiv, has had to be rebuilt seven times after shelling. But it is fully operational now. Last month, I visited Mukachevo, where two russian missiles struck a representative office of an American business. There were 600 people on the night shift. At 4:30 a.m., an air raid siren went off, and at 4:37 a.m., a missile hit the facility. All employees are alive and business keeps running. Nearly half of all companies have been damaged by russian missile strikes over the past almost four years", he said.

At the same time, Andy Hunder noted that the American companies still operating in Ukraine today are "the best ambassadors for business."

"This resilience inspires others. We were invited by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, and they asked us to 'describe how businesses operate during a full-scale war,' as they also have a neighboring country that questions their existence. And here, the role of business is essential! The banking sector is operating flawlessly, which is crucial for the economy," Andy Hundered.

The President of the American Chamber of Commerce also noted that business is not only continuing to operate but also expanding.

"McDonald’s recently opened its 50th restaurant in Kyiv – on a day when the city had no electricity. Why does business keep running? Because specific conditions have been created. Looking at the 25 sectors, one of the key targets russia aimed to destroy was the banking sector. Even before the first missile strikes, the banking system was already under attack, but we managed to secure everything and quickly transfer the data to the 'cloud', where russian missiles cannot reach. These are companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Oracle. The banking sector is operating flawlessly, which is crucial for the economy," Andy Hunder summed up.