On Friday, August 19, Riga City Council Chairman Mārtiņš Staķis and several other mayors of European cities met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Mayor of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Vitaly Klitschko, as well as other Ukrainian state and municipal officials. Together with the mayors of European cities, M. Staķis signed a political agreement in Kyiv on support for the sustainable renewal of Ukrainian cities.
After the visit, Riga Mayor M. Staķis emphasized: “The consequences of the cruelty of the Russian army can only be understood in person – seeing the devastation caused by the occupiers in Buča, Irpinė and Borodyanka. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made three simple requests to the mayors of European cities: fight against Russia in the information war, take the lead in renovating Ukrainian cities, and set an example for other cities in Europe and the world. Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko’s faith in the strength of his people is another confirmation that we must remind Europe every day about the war, help refugees, donate to the Ukrainian army, and coordinate the work of European cities, participating in the reconstruction of Ukraine. Ukraine will win!”
The agreement is supported by the network of cities “Eurocities” and was signed by the leadership of the Congress of Local and Regional Municipalities of Ukraine, which represents local authorities of Ukraine. In a joint statement, the mayors of Riga, Florence, Athens, Helsinki, Lyon, Marseille, Oslo, Tirana and Kyiv emphasize: “We, the mayors and leaders of European and Ukrainian cities, condemn the Russian war in Ukraine and call for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces and the restoration of peace. We are committed to working together to prepare and implement the rapid and sustainable renewal of Ukrainian cities.”
The joint working group, which will include representatives from “Eurocities” and the Congress of Local and Regional Municipalities of Ukraine, will meet regularly to monitor the implementation of cooperation.
