Three historic events in one day: Ukrainian PM welcomes European delegation in Lviv
Photo: Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
On Friday, May 9, ministers and diplomats from 35 European countries arrived in Lviv. Three historic events took place in Lviv over one day, says Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal taking part in the occasion.
“Today, three historic events are taking place in Lviv. Truly historic. The first is the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU member states. We discussed a range of topics concerning our shared present and future. We reached an understanding and outlined the next steps in priority areas,” he said.
The second event is the signing of an agreement to direct a tranche of profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. As Shmyhal noted, it is the agreement between the EU and Denmark, France, and Italy. It concerns funds from the European Peace Facility of approximately 1 billion euros.
He added that these funds would be used by EU countries to procure Ukrainian weapons for Ukraine's needs.
“This way, we will not only receive weapons and support but also boost our own defense industry. We will elevate the capabilities of Ukrainian arms manufacturers to a new level,” he added.
The third historic event is a meeting of the core group on the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Shmyhal emphasizes that Ukraine and its partners are approaching the beginning of the special tribunal for senior officials of Russia who issued criminal orders.
“The core group countries have conducted extensive legal preparations. Today, a political decision will be made to approve the work of legal teams. The process of forming and launching the special tribunal within the framework of the Council of Europe will begin soon. Those guilty of the crime of aggression will definitely be held accountable,” the Prime Minister said.
Meeting of European ministers in Lviv
Today, May 9, marking Europe Day, European ministers and diplomats arrived in Lviv. Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe are present in Lviv.
A meeting of the core group to establish a special tribunal for Russia took place in Lviv. It now includes 44 countries that gave a political signal for making the special tribunal.
European ministers stated that Russian president Vladimir Putin must be held accountable for crimes against Ukraine. More details are available at the link.
