During his working visit to Argentina, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with representatives of the Ukrainian community in the country.
The Head of State noted the warm attitude to Ukraine in Argentina and thanked the new President of the Argentine Republic Javier Milei for clear signals of support for our state.
"I believe that the position of the new President of Argentina and his team will remain unchanged. Today, it is based on support for Ukraine, our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and support for freedom," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that such a clear position of Argentina would influence the overall political support for Ukraine in the region, which would affect, among other things, the support for Ukrainian resolutions at the UN.
"It is important that such a powerful voice of Latin America as the voice of Argentina, the voice of Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador – that they are all on our side. And I am glad that it is so," the President noted.
According to him, the Ukrainian side has received confirmation from Argentina that it will join the implementation of the Peace Formula, including participation in the fourth meeting of national security advisors to be held in January.
"The second thing we are working on is organizing the Ukraine – Latin America summit. We aim to unite the voices of Latin America in support of Ukraine and our clear stance towards seeking a just peace and condemning Russian aggression. Today, we heard support from the President of Argentina. We will consider how and when to organize all this," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Head of State also thanked the Ukrainian community in Argentina for preserving love for Ukraine, Ukrainian identity and culture for decades.
At the same time, the President noted that in the context of a full-scale Russian war, Ukraine needs to consolidate and maintain political support from the world's states.
"We need unity. Here we have representatives from Uruguay and Paraguay. We need to ensure that our communities in Latin America are united. The presence of our nation in one or another country is essential, and as an integral part of society, it always has an impact on state policy," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"So I want to ask you to find additional tools to unite Ukrainians in Latin America until we end the war victoriously," he added.
The Head of State called on the representatives of the Ukrainian community to establish economic and business ties both among themselves and with Ukraine.
"I am very glad to be here with you today. Thank you for your support and your work. I know that you have been providing financial, humanitarian, and medical assistance. I know that some of you have hosted families and children, and some have helped with medications for the wounded. For all of this, I am deeply grateful," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meeting included representatives from various Ukrainian organizations such as: the Ukrainian Central Representation in the Argentine Republic, Ukrainian Plast in Argentina, Union of Ukrainian Women in Argentina, Association of Ukrainian-Argentinian University Graduates, Taras Shevchenko Foundation, Argentine-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ukrainian Society "Revival," Organization of Ukrainian Women "Revival," Ukrainian Cultural Society "Enlightenment" in the Argentine Republic, Women's Union "Enlightenment," Association of Ukrainian Youth, Ukrainian Society "August 27," Ukrainian communities in the cities of Oberá and Colonia, Ukrainian community of the city of Apostoles, Ukrainian-Argentinian Club (Apostoles), and representatives of the clergy.
The date of the beginning of the Ukrainian immigration movement to Argentina is considered to be August 27, 1897. Today, according to various estimates, between 350 and 500 thousand ethnic Ukrainians live in Argentina.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Ukrainian community in Argentina has been actively involved in collecting and delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine, organizing rallies, picketing the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires and concerts of Russian artists in the country, and participating in thematic roundtables, conferences and discussions on Ukraine-related topics.
