President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held his first meeting with city mayors as part of a new format for direct dialogue with the regions.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister of Ukraine Sergii Koretskyi; Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Vitalii Bezhin; Deputy Head of the Office of the President Viktor Mykyta; the mayors of Kharkiv, Dnipro, Uzhhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, and Vinnytsia; the acting mayors of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, and Rivne; as well as Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities Oleksandr Slobozhan and President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Council Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko.
“Thank you for your work and service. Strength within the country, unity, people's lives, and jobs help our country hold on,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President emphasized that the country's strength lies, among other things, in strong communities, and that this also enables Ukraine to represent itself at the appropriate high level in international affairs. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about recent diplomatic developments.
“The main international process today is support for Ukraine and negotiations. These are parallel tracks. We are doing everything to advance both,” the Head of State said.
The main focus of the discussion was preparations by cities and communities for the winter period amid Russian strikes on Ukraine's critical and transportation infrastructure and residential buildings.
The mayors briefed the Head of State on the situation in their cities, the challenges they are currently facing, and their own proposals for addressing problematic issues, including through cooperation with the state. They discussed possible response scenarios and joint action by the authorities at the central, regional, and local levels.
They also focused on finding mechanisms to help people who may face hardships during the winter. The mayors emphasized that, amid the war and a challenging winter, people need timely assistance from the authorities. They discussed possible additional support mechanisms and ways to put them into practice. Preserving the financial capacity of communities is also important, including by securing support from partners.
The meeting also addressed the need to ensure adequate housing for internally displaced persons, which is a challenge for cities that have taken in large numbers of IDPs.
The mayors will work on additional proposals concerning the communities' most urgent needs. The President emphasized that the state stands ready to support communities in addressing their most pressing issues.
They also discussed the work of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, the need to strengthen its practical work, and to ensure feedback channels between the government and communities.
The meeting participants share a common position: it is important to work together at all levels of government. They agreed to make this dialogue format a regular one in order to respond to challenges more promptly and coordinate the actions of central and local authorities. Similar meetings will also be held with heads of regional administrations.