President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Salvador Illa and Mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni. This is the first visit to Ukraine by the head of the Government of Catalonia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked them for their constant and unwavering support for Ukraine and Ukrainians.
“We are very grateful for everything that has been done on your part, for your support for Ukraine since the very beginning of Russian aggression. We are grateful for the military and humanitarian support. We are, of course, grateful that you are taking in our people. We never forget that,” the Head of State said.
The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Mayor of Barcelona noted that they almost never travel on visits together, but made an exception for this trip to underscore the full support for Ukraine from Barcelona, Catalonia, and the Government of Spain.
“We believe that Ukraine should become part of the European Union as soon as possible, as a full member, and we also believe, as does the Government of Spain, that Russian assets in Europe should be used to support and finance Ukraine’s reconstruction and defense,” Salvador Illa emphasized.
The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia noted that the main purpose of their visit was to establish interregional cooperation. Today, Catalonia signed memoranda with three Ukrainian regions at once: Zaporizhzhia, the Dnipro region, and the Lviv region. The Head of State thanked them for the assistance.
“Sometimes direct support for regions is more important, because people in a particular region focus on one challenge or another. The war is a major challenge for our communities, and they need support – very specific support. I congratulate you on making this decision,” the President noted.
Mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni also spoke about the partnership between the capital of Catalonia and the capital of Ukraine, particularly in logistics support and humanitarian cooperation. He also assured Ukraine of support for its reconstruction.
“Your fight is our fight, your borders are our borders, and the freedom of the people of Ukraine, the freedom of Kyiv residents, is ultimately our freedom, because we want our people in our country and our city to understand very clearly that this is decisive for winning this war. It is very important to stand with Ukraine,” Jaume Collboni said.
The parties also discussed energy cooperation and the challenges Ukraine faces as it prepares for winter.