Illa meets with Zelensky in Kyiv

BrusselsThe President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has met with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv. Government sources report that the socialist leader conveyed the "commitment and solidarity" of Catalonia to the Ukrainian people, and emphasized that since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Catalans have been on their side. "This trip is a sign of the will to reaffirm and strengthen this support," the same government sources assert.

Illa exemplified the support that Catalonia has given to the Ukrainian people with the sending of humanitarian aid and cooperation between the two countries in the healthcare sector, as well as the collaboration agreements that the government signed this same Thursday with the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv, according to the same sources. Furthermore, the President of the Generalitat expressed his support for the integration of the Ukrainian country into the European Union and the use of frozen Russian assets to increase European aid to Kyiv. In fact, Illa highlighted in statements before the meeting with Zelenskyy that Ukraine "defends all Europeans" in its war against Vladimir Putin's regime. "[The future of Ukraine] is the future of Europe and Catalonia," said the socialist leader from Kyiv.

The President of the Generalitat also talked about the current situation of the war and gave him his “unconditional” support to achieve a resolution of the conflict that guarantees “a fair and lasting peace.” “Illa conveyed to him on behalf of Catalonia the energetic condemnation of the attacks against the civilian population that have been occurring in recent days,” the government sources add.

Illa, who invited the Ukrainian president to visit Barcelona and Catalonia, attended the meeting accompanied by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, the Minister of the European Union and Foreign Action, Jaume Duch, and the Deputy Head of the Spanish Embassy in Kyiv, Antonio Santamaría.