First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska held a video meeting with the spouse of the Federal President of the Republic of Austria Doris Schmidauer.
Olena Zelenska thanked Austria for its support to Ukraine and praised the First Lady's personal involvement in humanitarian projects to help Ukrainians.
"I never thought that now, after three years of fierce resistance, we would all have to go through the same difficult period as at the beginning of the aggression. Just like then, democratic values and ordinary human values, such as empathy and justice, are under threat. But at the same time, I see how the majority of the international and especially the European community, still upholds these principles and supports Ukraine and its defense," she said.
In particular, the First Ladies discussed cooperation within the framework of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
“I see great potential in expanding such initiatives and strengthening cooperation between First Ladies at the global level,” Olena Zelenska noted.
The wife of the President of Ukraine emphasized that the soft power of First Ladies and Gentlemen yields real results.
"One of the ways to increase this power is through personal development and improvement of practical and communication skills. Many members of our community have expressed interest in pursuing continuous learning. During our conversation in December, we observed a strong interest in active training on soft power, public diplomacy, and gender equality," the First Lady of Ukraine said.
Olena Zelenska and Doris Schmidauer discussed the possibility of organizing such training for the Summit community in the near future.