Mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko met with the mayors of four European capitals – members of the Pact of Free Cities, who came to testify their support and further assistance to the Ukrainian capital.

In 2019, the mayors of Warsaw Rafal Tszaskowski, Zdenek Hryb of Prague, Gergely Karaczon of Budapest and Matusz Wallo of Bratislava founded the Pact of Free Cities. Kyiv joined the Pact on September 26 last year.

The mayor of the capital Vitaliy Klitschko thanked his colleagues who visited Kyiv before the start of the large-scale invasion of russia and all the time supported Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor and helped its capital. Vitaliy Klitschko emphasized that today's meeting is evidence of effective cooperation between the cities and further support of Ukraine and Kyiv by European partners.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, 4 European capitals have not stopped helping Kyiv. During this time, the capital of Ukraine received from Prague, in particular, 16 wagons of food, 400 heat guns and 10 generators. Budapest helped to improve the health of Ukrainian children on Lake Balaton and in the city of Tata, and handed over a powerful generator to KP "Kyivteploenergo". Warsaw became, in particular, a logistics center for the transfer of humanitarian aid to Kyiv from other European cities and countries, including 2,500 tons of food, hygiene products, medicines, as well as pipes and a generator for Kyivvodokanal PJSC. Bratislava plans to transfer 25 city buses to the capital of Ukraine.

"I thank my friends - my European colleagues, whose cities gave refuge to Ukrainians fleeing the war. Thank you for the help you sent and are providing today to Kyiv. And for the fact that they are determined to help us in the restoration of our city, determined to further support Ukraine and its capital, Vitaliy Klitschko emphasized during the meeting with the mayors. - At the summit in Prague at the end of September 2022, we had the opportunity to discuss in detail the European experience and the necessary assistance for the restoration of Ukrainian cities. Joining Kyiv to the Pact of Free Cities is another, very important, opportunity to jointly and effectively overcome the challenges that Ukraine and the civilized democratic world face today. And we continue the cooperation between our cities, the implementation of joint ideas and plans, evidence of which is your visit to Kyiv."

During the meeting, the mayors of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko and Warsaw Rafal Tsaskowski signed a letter of intent regarding cooperation between the Kyiv and Warsaw metros and the transfer of 60 metro cars to Kyiv, the Polish capital.

During their visit to Ukraine, the mayors of Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest will inspect the sites of Russian attacks on civilian objects in Kyiv, visit the city's clinical hospital for war veterans, a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities, and one of the capital's heating points. They will also visit Bucha, mutilated by Russian barbarians.

The mayors of the four European capitals emphasized that they will continue to help Kyiv - in particular, with equipment to get through this difficult winter, humanitarian and in the future recovery and reconstruction of the Ukrainian capital.

The Pact of Free Cities is an open and progressive urban alliance launched in 2019 by the mayors of Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Bratislava. European cities cooperate in the protection of democracy, in the fight against corruption and populism, in the protection of the rights and powers of local self-government, in establishing effective cooperation with national governments. And also - implement joint initiatives and projects adapted to the needs of individual cities.