The visit of the seven foreign ministers to Kyiv was useful for all participants during the meeting of NATO foreign ministers starting tomorrow, writes Maxim Fedorov, ‘s Kyiv reporter.
KIEV Kyiv is already used to the simultaneous visits of several European politicians. But such a large delegation from Europe has not been seen in Ukraine before.
Today, the foreign ministers of no less than seven countries have visited Kyiv. The representatives of the countries most active in supporting Ukraine will be included: in addition to Finland, the Baltic countries, Sweden, Norway and Iceland.
For Ukraine, all international visits are very important, but such a representative visit is especially so. It shows not only the solid support, but also the fact that foreign guests dare to come to Kyiv to show solidarity despite the Russian missile attacks. It shows that Russia will not discourage Ukraine or the West with its own actions.
Foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (green) tweeted about Ukraine like this: “The inconsolability of war is present in Kiev. King Winter has come to town. You just have to admire the courage and determination of the Ukrainians when the country defends its independence.”
But Haavisto has only been able to see a glimpse of “Kingus Winter”. He has mostly visited strategically important buildings where electricity is not cut off.
I myself changed places three times today so that I could do the day’s work while the regular power outages continued. And this cannot even be compared to the situation where many Ukrainians have to live, i.e. completely without electricity, running water and heating.
But even a small glimpse of the so far mild Ukrainian winter in the war-torn city has managed to convince the foreign minister that the need for help is only growing. After all, Finns know very well what severe winter weather means.
The visit of the seven foreign ministers to Kyiv laid the groundwork for the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, starting tomorrow.
At the evening press conference, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that after this visit, his colleagues will take a strong message to NATO about the need for new anti-aircraft systems. Preferably weapons first, then all other aid, Kuleba repeated Ukraine’s wish.
The meeting was also important for Finland during the NATO meeting. Ukraine’s role in the international political field has grown a lot since the war, and Ukraine’s support for Finland’s NATO membership is not a bad thing in the prolonged accession process.
The support of the other ministers who visited Kyiv for Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership is also important. They all belong to NATO and already treat candidate members as equal partners.
The foreign ministers’ speeches repeated the same idea, which is vital for Ukraine: Ukraine must win the war, because it is the ultimate condition for European security.
In this story you can read the latest news about Russia’s attack on Ukraine
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