KIEV: American fast food conglomrate McDonald's wants to reopen some of its restaurants in Ukraine, regardless of the ongoing Russian war against Kiev.

McDonald’s will start reopening some of its restaurants in Ukraine in the recent months, a symbol of the war-torn country’s return to some sense of normalcy and a show of support after the American fast-food chain and others pulled out of Russia.

After Russia's invasion nearly six months ago, the burger giant closed its Ukrainian stores but continued to pay more than 10,000 McDonald's employees in the nation. On Thursday, McDonald's announced that it will gradually reopen certain restaurants in the capital, Kyiv, and western Ukraine, where other companies are conducting business away from the fighting. Nike, KFC, and the Spanish apparel retailer Mango have opened in Kyiv.

"We've spoken extensively to our staff, and they have shown a strong desire to return to work and see our restaurants in Ukraine reopen," Paul Pomroy, corporate senior vice president of foreign operated markets, said in an employee message. "In recent months, there has been a growing assumption that this will promote a small but significant sense of normalcy."

The war has badly harmed the Ukrainian economy, and restarting enterprises, even in a limited capacity, would be beneficial. The International Monetary Fund predicts that Ukraine's economy would contract by 35% this year.

McDonald's has 109 restaurants in Ukraine but has not stated how many will return, when they will reopen, or which locations will be the first to welcome customers back. With the war raging to the east, the firm said it will begin working with vendors in the coming months to get supplies into restaurants, prepare those stores, bring back personnel, and implement safety protocols.

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