On the second day of her visit to Great Britain, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska became a guest of the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom Camilla organized on the occasion of the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The Queen Consort is an active participant in campaigns against violence against women.
"It is an honor for me to have a personal acquaintance with Her Majesty and the opportunity to tell what happened and is happening in our territories temporarily occupied by Russia, what terrible crimes the occupiers are committing against our women and children. Ukraine is ready to contribute to international efforts to prevent violence in the conflicts faced around the world. Unfortunately, we have a painful experience in this matter. We are doing everything possible to overcome it with dignity and never tolerate it," Olena Zelenska emphasized.
The First Lady of Ukraine also visited the Russian War Crimes exhibition. It was organized by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation and PinchukArtCentre in cooperation with the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian Pravda and the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. It has already been presented in Brussels, Kyiv, Davos and New York.
The exhibition presents photos that were taken all over Ukraine since the beginning of the war, illustrate Russian crimes, and show the faces and stories of Ukrainians who suffered from them.
The First Lady noted that the event serves the same purpose as her speech in the British Parliament and at the PSVI Conference - to draw the attention of Great Britain and the world to Russian crimes in Ukraine and to contribute to bringing the perpetrators to international justice at a special tribunal that should be established .
The opening of Russian War Crimes was personally attended by Speaker of the House of Commons of the British Parliament Lindsay Hoyle and businessman and philanthropist Viktor Pinchuk. Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak joined the opening of the exhibition in online format.
Olena Zelenska also held a meeting with Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom Stephen Barclay. The First Lady thanked for the support of the Ukrainian medical field and the National Program of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, in particular for the recently held round table dedicated to mental health issues. It was organized jointly with the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
The parties discussed further cooperation, in particular, the establishment of direct interaction at the level of the ministries of health of Ukraine and Great Britain for the exchange of experience and the organization of training of Ukrainian specialists in the best practices in the field of administration of health care services.
"We really count on the continuation of the partnership, which will contribute to the effective peaceful recovery of Ukraine. Which is very important for the joint movement forward of the entire European continent. Today, Ukraine needs support, but at the same time it is accumulating unique experience, the study of which can be useful for other countries, in particular for Great Britain. Experience which we pay a very high price for," said Olena Zelenska.
In addition, the First Lady of Ukraine held a meeting with Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace. The President's wife thanked for the UK’s unprecedented support of Ukraine, as with the beginning of Russia's full-scale military aggression, Great Britain became the first European state to provide lethal weapons to our country, and the support from Britain continues. The United Kingdom also implements a training program for the Ukrainian military.
"I ask you to consider the possibility of expanding training programs for our defenders so that they can use more modern military equipment," said Olena Zelenska.
The First Lady noted the importance of continuing such assistance, as it enabled Ukraine not only to hold out, but also to repel the enemy in certain directions.
"Maintaining Britain's leadership role in the supply of the necessary weapons is an important aspect of strengthening the defense capacity of our country," the President's wife emphasized.
