Ghent mayor De Clercq meets President Zelensky during the European city summit in Kiev

Earlier this week, Ukrainian security services said they had foiled a Russian plan to assassinate President Zelensky. Because the security risks were high, the summit was kept secret until the last minute. “We must continue to show our solidarity with Ukraine on all fronts. We have expressed our support from European cities and our commitment to work together on the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities. This was greatly appreciated,” says De Clercq.

The meeting with President Zelenksi was “a short, but warm, sincere meeting. They know very well what Eurocities does, what Ghent does and they are extremely grateful. Of course you see the fatigue, the commitment and security are unlikely there.”

In addition to President Zelensky, De Clercq also met the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, several Ukrainian mayors and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

In addition to the congress, the representatives of the European cities also visited a number of regions and cities affected by the war, such as Butcha, Borodianka, Mushchun and Irpin.