In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the 4th International Summit of Cities and Regions “Partnership. Resilience. Readiness,” which brought together representatives of 24 countries.
The Head of State emphasized that after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine created various formats of interaction with its partners, including cooperation between communities, cities, and regional authorities with the participation of government officials.
“It is a format that shows very clearly how life in Europe works and why our defense in this war has gained such broad, such global support,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President noted that the summit was attended by representatives of Poland, France, Austria, Romania, Norway, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, the United States, Slovenia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Switzerland, and Hungary.
“The Mayor of Budapest, the capital, is here today, and I hope that we will certainly smooth out relations between our countries. I am confident of this. This is very important for everyone – both in our region and, as we can see, in Europe as a whole,” the Head of State noted.
For the first time, representatives of Belarus were present at such a summit – Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
“Most of you understand and feel absolutely clearly what the phrase “For our freedom and yours” means. This is exactly how we are defending ourselves now at home, in Ukraine. This is exactly how the freedom and independence of many others in our Europe were protected,” the Head of State emphasized.
The President stressed that one of Ukraine’s main priorities today is strengthening air defense.
“Today, each of us understands that Russia’s madness has not diminished. They are again threatening us with strikes, again refusing real diplomacy, trying to drag Belarus even deeper into the war, and threatening the Baltic states, Finland, Moldova, and Poland,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to the President, it is also important to continue strengthening the resilience of Ukrainian communities. In particular, our country expects real results on reconstruction and the engagement of European business in cooperation from the international Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will take place in Gdańsk.
The Head of State also noted the format of the Carpathian Integration Initiative, which brings together regions of Ukraine and our part of Europe. Preparations are underway for an international forum of the Carpathian macroregion.
The President thanked the partners for their continued support for Ukraine, including for providing shelter to Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes because of Russian aggression, and presented state awards and honorary distinctions.
In particular, the Order of Princess Olga, III class, was awarded to Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy and Deputy Premier of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From the first day of the war, she condemned Russia’s aggression, initiates the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, advocates for Germany’s and Europe’s energy independence from Russian gas, and works to develop economic ties with Ukraine.
The Head of State presented the President of Ukraine’s “Golden Heart” distinctions to the mayors of the French cities of Nancy and Orléans, Mathieu Klein and Serge Grouard, and to the mayor of the Polish city of Płońsk, Andrzej Józef Pietrasik.
These city leaders were recognized for their consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, for providing various forms of support and humanitarian assistance, and for supporting people who have left their homes.
The President handed over the honorary distinction “Rescuer City” to the mayors of Budapest – Gergely Karácsony, Tallinn – Mihhail Kõlvart, Gdańsk – Aleksandra Maria Dulkiewicz, and Saint-Germain-en-Laye – Arnaud Péricard.
This distinction was awarded for solidarity with the Ukrainian people, comprehensive assistance to our people who were forced to leave Ukraine because of Russia’s full-scale war, and significant support for the Ukrainian state in defending its independence and sovereignty.
The “Rescuer City” distinction had previously been awarded to the Polish cities of Rzeszów, Przemyśl, Lublin, Chełm, and Warsaw, as well as to Paris, Prague, and Vilnius.
