Portugal to aid reconstruction of Zhytomyr's education facilities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting with the Portuguese delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, discussing Portugal's involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The Office of the President of Ukraine said that Zelenskyy "highly appreciated" Portugal's readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of educational institutions in Zhytomyr Oblast. 

On 5 February, a forum on the recovery of the region took place in Zhytomyr with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Education of the Portuguese Republic.

"I know that yesterday you had an active day in Zhytomyr and took part in the forum on the recovery of Zhytomyr Oblast. I expect that the practical implementation of relevant projects will start in the near future," the president said.

As Interfax-Ukraine reported, Portugal, in particular, will assist in the reconstruction of Lyceum No 25 in Zhytomyr, which was destroyed in a Russian airstrike at the beginning of the full-scale war.

The reconstruction of the lyceum is outlined in a memorandum of understanding between the Zhytomyr City Council and the Portuguese company Construção Pública, E.P.E., which was signed during the forum.

The lyceum building was destroyed in a Russian aerial attack on 4 March 2022.

The minister of foreign affairs of Portugal is in Ukraine for a two-day visit; he arrived on 5 February.

In Kyiv, he held negotiations with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, discussing military assistance and Ukraine's path towards the EU and NATO.