A meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine was held in Lviv to discuss the outcomes of this year's work and outline the main priorities for the coming year.
The Head of State identified community support programs, domestic defense production and Ukraine's foreign policy as fundamental topics of the meeting.
“Resilience on the frontline, resilience within Ukraine, resilience of relations with our partners – all this is essential, and the relevant steps are envisaged by the working documents on resilience – at the level of the Office, the Government, and the Parliament. I ask all of you to do your best to support the front, the families of our warriors, as well as the production facilities involved in defense needs,” the President said.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on the situation in various frontline areas and, separately, on the territory of the Kursk region.
“For the third day in a row, the enemy has been conducting intense offensive operations in the Kursk region. They are actively engaging units of the North Korean army. North Korean mercenaries have already suffered heavy losses. Ukrainian defenders are firmly holding the line, destroying enemy personnel and equipment,” the AFU Commander-in-Chief noted.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized that the Internal Resilience Plan, presented by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Parliament, provides, among other things, for the functioning of sustainable and capable communities.
“I would also like to highlight the adoption of the Law ‘On International Territorial Cooperation of Ukraine’ in April this year, which enabled close cooperation not only between border regions, but also between territorial communities from across Ukraine, which will facilitate wider and more effective attraction of international assistance,” he noted.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the efforts of the Government are focused on eight key areas: financial stability, recovery, defense, healthcare, education, the heating season, social support and business support. In particular, this year's local budget resources amounted to more than UAH 285 billion, and next year they will increase to UAH 328 billion.
“The Government consistently pays particular attention to regions and communities. We are doing everything to make them strong and empowered,” Denys Shmyhal added.
Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak stressed that nearly 90% of the councils have already voted in support of the Victory Plan.
He urged representatives of local and regional authorities to keep making every effort and work with foreign elites and societies.
“Our allies and partners are determined to continue helping us. The recent defense and sanctions packages are clear evidence of this. We are establishing an active dialog with the Administration of President-elect Donald Trump. And I can tell you that President Trump's team is clearly aware of Ukraine's importance for global security,” Andriy Yermak said.
In total, 280 participants attended the meeting, with more than 1,400 members of Congress, as well as the Ambassadors of the United States, France, Denmark, Austria and Greece joining online.
