President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions of the Kingdom of Belgium Sophie Wilmès, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Stef Blok and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn.
The Head of State thanked the ministers for starting their visit to Ukraine with a trip to Donbas on their own initiative.
"I think it's important not to know what is happening there in words, but to see everything with your own eyes. I know that you were in the town of Shchastya in the Luhansk region. You saw for yourself our attitude towards Donbas. We are investing in infrastructure," he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that it is important not only to resolve the issue of deoccupation of the temporarily occupied territory of Donbas, but also to make those who live in this territory, cross the contact line, feel human.
The President briefed the ministers in detail on the security situation in Donbas, as well as on the steps Ukraine is taking to achieve peace.
Senior Benelux officials praised Ukraine's consistent adherence to the truce in Donbas.
The President also noted the unchanging position of the Benelux countries in support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, as well as practical assistance in ensuring national security.
Due to the increase of the Russian Federation's armed forces on the borders of Ukraine, the interlocutors expressed a common opinion on the inadmissibility of such actions, as they pose a threat to European security and stability.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the Benelux countries to support our country's European integration aspirations, in particular by signing declarations on Ukraine's European prospect.
The participants of the meeting also discussed the issues of the Crimean Platform. The President confirmed the invitation to the leadership of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to take part in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform on August 23-24, 2021 in Kyiv.