Strikes on Kharkiv and other cities demonstrate that Russia wants to continue the war, not peace. It is necessary to increase pressure on Moscow to force it to peace. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha during a visit to Kharkiv together with colleagues from Norway, reports UNN.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha paid a visit to Kharkiv today together with his colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Espen Barth Eide, and Minister of Labor and Social Integration of Norway Tonje Brenna.
The ministers saw with their own eyes the consequences of the brutal Russian terror against the city and its residents, including the damage from a massive drone strike the night before the visit. Diplomats also visited Saltivka, one of the districts of Kharkiv, which was most affected by Russian shelling.
Russian strikes on Kharkiv and other cities demonstrate that Russia seeks to continue the war, not peace. Kharkiv, in particular Saltivka, is an eloquent example of Russian shelling of residential neighborhoods, where there are no military targets, only residential buildings and social infrastructure. This is total terror and war against civilians
Sybiha reminded that Ukraine agreed to the American proposal for a temporary and complete ceasefire on March 11 in Jeddah. Russia, on the other hand, puts forward manipulative demands and stalls for time, so it is necessary to increase pressure on Moscow to force it to peace.
At the sites of Russian strikes, the ministers spoke with the victims of yesterday's shelling. Sybiha assured that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to work with international partners to direct support programs to rebuild housing so that Ukrainians can return to their hometowns and homes.
The ministers held a separate round of negotiations in Kharkiv, which discussed Norway's priority steps in supporting Ukraine. Among them are the provision of additional military assistance packages, increased investment in Ukrainian arms production, the development of joint defense projects, and the provision of additional assistance to increase energy resilience and reconstruction of Ukraine.
Sybiha expressed deep gratitude for the strong support from the Norwegian government, parliament, municipalities and the entire society. He noted that with this year's contribution of about 8 billion dollars under the Nansen Program and long-term assistance for the coming years, Norway is today one of the leaders in supporting Ukraine. The Ukrainian people will always remember this.
During the visit, the minister also visited Kharkiv National University named after Karazin, where he spoke with its leadership, teachers and students.
Sybiha told students about the results of Ukrainian-American meetings in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine's work with American and European partners to achieve a just peace, as well as strengthening our state's defense capabilities, increasing pressure on Moscow, and promoting Ukraine on its path to the EU and NATO. He answered students' questions about Ukraine's foreign policy and current international processes.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the management, teachers and students of Karazin University for continuing the educational process and demonstrating excellent academic results even in the face of constant Russian terror against Kharkiv.
We, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will continue to do our utmost to promote the development of international partnerships of the university, the involvement of foreigners, the development and creation of new opportunities. We are ready to develop cooperation and conclude additional agreements to attract students for internships and work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, synchronize curricula with the priority needs of Ukrainian diplomacy
The Minister and his Norwegian colleagues also visited the Kharkiv City Clinical Hospital, where they spoke with its management and staff. Sybiha expressed gratitude to Kharkiv doctors for their selfless work and saving lives. Norwegian Ministers Espen Barth Eide and Tonje Brenna presented a Norwegian solar power plant that will provide the hospital with electricity. The Foreign Minister expressed sincere gratitude to Norway for its contributions to the resilience and recovery of Kharkiv, as well as to the United Nations Development Program, which contributed to the implementation of this project.
Finally, Minister Sybiha expressed his gratitude to the Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov and the Mayor of Kharkiv Ihor Terekhov, who took part in the visit of the Norwegian ministers, for their hospitality and cooperation. He assured of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' readiness to make every effort to attract further international assistance to protect the city and the region, develop Kharkiv and Kharkiv region's ties with foreign partners, promote reconstruction and create conditions for people to return to their hometown and region.