At the invitation of Olha Stefanishyna, Ministers for European Affairs of Germany and Poland visit Odesa
On Thursday, 20 June, Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Anna Lührmann, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, and Adam Szłapka, Minister for European Affairs of Poland, met with representatives of the Odesa Regional Military Administration and heard a security report on the situation and needs of the region from representatives of local authorities, the State Emergency Service and the State Tax Service of Ukraine.
The meeting featured, among others, the Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleg Kiper, the Head of the Regional Department of the State Border Guard Service, Brigadier General Yuriy Petriv, and the Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region, Denys Platonov.
The senior officials also visited the grain terminal of the Odesa seaport and saw first-hand the devastating effects of russian attacks on the city's civilian infrastructure.
"In addition to Kyiv, where we discussed political issues and reforms, it was important for me to invite the ministers to Odesa, a city that supports the country's economy through maritime grain corridors. It is a city that needs air defence capabilities to protect the Black Sea corridor and to protect the city itself. The ministerial colleagues were full of courage and determination to come to Odesa a week before the First Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg, where Ukraine will officially open EU membership negotiations. For them, Odesa is, first and foremost, Europe," Olha Stefanishyna said following the visit.
She thanked her foreign colleagues for their determination and commitment to supporting Ukraine on its European integration path.
For her part, German Minister Anna Lührmann said: "Odesa is critically important for the whole world because of its role in the export of Ukrainian grain. During the Peace Summit in Switzerland, where many delegates from Africa and Latin America were represented, they emphasised how important it is to receive grain from Ukraine so that their people can get food and farmers can have fertilisers. That is why we are so impressed and very grateful to the brave Ukrainian Armed Forces who have managed to keep the Ukrainian grain corridor open. Indeed, we need to help with air defence, which is a top priority at the moment."
She recalled Germany's decision to provide Ukraine with a third Patriot system: "We know that more needs to be done, and we are willing to continue to support Ukraine to win this brutal war."
"We understand very well that Odesa's activities are critically important not only for the Ukrainian economy, but also for the food security of the whole world, including North Africa, the Middle East, etc. We also understand that Odesa should operate as the most important grain hub for Ukraine. Therefore, we are convincing our partners of the need to help the city. Poland provides significant military support to Ukraine and continues to help in various coalitions. We are convincing our partners that each party must contribute proportionally to this assistance so that Ukraine, and Odesa in particular, can defend itself and the ports continue to operate," said Adam Szłapka, Minister for European Affairs of Poland.