President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, who is on a visit to our country.
"This visit is very important for us, for me personally. It confirms: to be in Ukraine now, to be with Ukraine now is to be on the bright side of history, no matter how difficult it may be,” the Ukrainian President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Prime Minister of Luxembourg for the assistance provided by his country and him personally to Ukraine since the first days of Russia's full-scale war against our state.
"We have been in constant contact, and Luxembourg has always helped us… I am very grateful on behalf of our people, and I will say in detail: Luxembourg has allocated 15% of its defense budget to our defenders," the President said.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the meeting in Kyiv, the parties discussed issues of assistance to Ukrainians who took refuge in Luxembourg after the start of the war.
"We discussed the lives of our children, families and students, whom Luxembourg welcomes very warmly. I am grateful that they feel at home, but temporarily at home, because it is very important for us that all citizens of Ukraine return home, as our state must be restored after the war," he said.
The leaders discussed the restoration of Ukraine. The issue of reconstruction will be discussed in more detail at a conference in Lugano, Switzerland, in July this year, and Luxembourg will be involved.
"We also discussed in detail the sanctions policy against the Russian state. Challenges related to the blockade of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov by the Russian fleet, which leads and will lead to a shortage of food in the world, especially in Asia, Africa and some European countries. We also discussed ways out of this collapse, out of this impudence," the Ukrainian President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the Prime Minister of Luxembourg began his visit to Ukraine by visiting the occupied towns of the Kyiv region and shared his feelings about what he saw.
"I would like to express gratitude for the humanitarian, armed and, first of all, humane assistance to our citizens provided by Luxembourg and personally the Prime Minister. You are always our welcome guest," said the President of Ukraine.
For his part, Xavier Bettel stressed that his visit was a confirmation of Luxembourg's solidarity with Ukraine. He stated that the Duchy would support our state both in the fight against Russian aggression and in the post-war recovery.
"Luxembourg is doing everything it can to help Ukraine. At the humanitarian and financial levels. Moral support is also important. I want to tell Ukrainians that their future is with us, and it will be built together, jointly," said Xavier Bettel.
The Prime Minister said that after reviewing the conclusion of the European Commission on Ukraine's application for EU candidate status, his country advised other EU members to support the decision in favor of Ukraine.
"I think there will be a decision that will become a powerful signal not only for you, but also for us. This is not only a consequence of the war against Ukraine, it is the protection of our values, for which so many people have already died," he said.
Xavier Bettel said he was impressed by what he saw in Bucha, Borodyanka and Irpin, in particular destroyed buildings, bridges and human lives. He stressed the importance of providing Ukraine with the necessary weapons so that our state can defend itself and win the war.
