Austrian President Arrives in Kyiv, Brings Power Generators
Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria, has arrived in the city of Kyiv.
"Arrived in Kyiv. After almost one year of war, Ukraine is not forgotten. Together with President Zelenskyy and the brave people of Ukraine – we stand for European values," he tweeted.
Arrived in Kyiv.
— A. Van der Bellen (@vanderbellen) February 1, 2023
After almost one year of war, #Ukraine is not forgotten. Together with President @ZelenskyyUa and the brave people of Ukraine – we stand for European values. (vdb) pic.twitter.com/80InsNdQYd
This is the first trip abroad since the beginning of Van der Bellen's second term in office. Usually, the Austrian president travels to Switzerland or the EU capital Brussels on his first foreign trip.
As he said in a video message on Twitter, he will meet with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv, and the Austrian delegation will present specific new Austrian aid – the much-needed generators.
"Yes, Austria is militarily neutral, but we are by no means neutral in our attitude. Ukrainian women and men are fighting for their country and for the future of their children. And we are helping them in this," the Austrian president said.
Austria and Hungary have agreed not to send weapons to Ukraine, the two countries' defence ministers reported earlier this week.