The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia took the train to Kiev today to show their support for Ukraine.
The three prime ministers thus became the first foreign leaders to visit the country since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last month.
The three EU leaders met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelenski briefed the leaders on the latest situation in the war.
“Your visit to Kiev at this difficult time for Ukraine is a sign of strong support. We really appreciate it,” Zelenski said in a post about the visit.
Brief footage released by the Presidency of Ukraine shows Zelensky speaking Ukrainian and English with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech counterpart Petr Fiala and Slovenian Janez Jansa.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa met with Ukrainian officials during their visit to Kyiv.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski also attended the meeting. Kaczynski is seen as the leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and the main policy maker in the country.
Ukrainian officials announced that Russian airstrikes and artillery fire hit Kiev during the day, and at least four people were killed in the attacks.
Due to the concentration of Russian forces in the region, the Mayor of Kyiv declared a curfew that will last 35 hours from 8 pm.
Morawiecki said on Twitter, “History is being made in war-torn Kiev. Freedom is fighting against tyranny here. The future of all of us is at stake here.”
The Czech Republic and Poland, formerly ruled by the communist regime, are members of the EU and NATO. These two countries have been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters in Europe since the Russian invasion.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal praised the three leaders’ visit with the words “the courage shown by true friends”.
Shmigal said they will discuss with the leaders such issues as support for Ukraine and additional sanctions against Russia.
Fiala said the decision to visit Kiev was taken in consultation with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Dworczyk said that the idea of visiting Kyiv was decided at the EU leaders’ summit held in Versailles, France last week.
However, an anonymous EU official said there was no “official mandate” granted by Brussels.
“This is a very appropriate initiative. Any attempt to restore peace to Ukraine is of course welcome,” the EU official told Reuters news agency.
“Some leaders may also wonder: Will this visit jeopardize the terms of negotiation with the Russians or will they improve? Of course we’ll see. It’s a fine line,” he added.
Russia describes its actions as a “special military operation” to “de-Nazis” Ukraine. On the other hand, Kyiv and Ukraine’s Western allies reject this statement by Russia, considering it an unjust and illegal pretext for aggression.