Aug 15 (Reuters) - A peaceful resolution to the war

between Russia and Ukraine would boost the value of Ukrainian

mobile operator Kyivstar "quite significantly", its CEO

Oleksandr Komarov said on Friday ahead of the company's stock

market listing in New York.

Kyivstar's shares will begin trading on the Nasdaq later on

Friday, becoming the first Ukraine-based company listed on a

U.S. stock exchange.

The listing coincides with a highly anticipated summit

between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President

Vladimir Putin in Alaska, a meeting closely watched by Ukraine

and European nations as a potential turning point in peace

negotiations.

"We will be the best asset for the international investment

community to invest in Ukraine, to invest in the Ukrainian

recovery, to invest in the Ukrainian support," Komarov said in

an interview.

Komarov said the company chose Nasdaq, where its parent VEON

is also listed, over London or Warsaw because it is

even more important to "strengthen the link between the United

States and Ukraine rather than between Ukraine and Europe."

The company has deepened its U.S. ties during the

conflict, appointing former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

to its board and

signing a deal

with Elon Musk's Starlink for satellite services.

VEON has pitched the listing as an opportunity for

foreign investors to bet on Ukraine's reconstruction. But its

success hinges in part on a peace deal being achieved.

Komarov said that the first few weeks of trading will be

extremely volatile. When asked if the outcome of the IPO depends

on political developments, he said the volatile external

environment was already incorporated in Kyivstar's valuation.

Kyivstar, which has been given a pro forma valuation of

$2.3 billion, carried out the listing by merging with fintech

entrepreneur Betsy Cohen's Cohen Circle special purpose

acquisition company (SPAC).

The company raised $178 million, confirming a

Reuters report

saying Kyivstar expected up to $200 million.

VEON will retain a majority stake in the mobile

operator.