European Parliament president receives Order of Merit during air raid in Kyiv

An air-raid warning disrupted Volodymyr Zelenskyy's joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

On Thursday 9 May, an air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv due to a potential missile threat to several oblasts, including the capital. At this point, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Roberta Metsola's press conference at the president's office was coming to an end, and Zelenskyy was answering questions about Russia's danger to Ukraine’s northeast. The president attempted to continue his response, but had to pause because of a loud siren, and congratulated the media on Europe Day.

"How are you feeling, Roberta?" he addressed the European guest. "Well, not bad. As you said, it's Europe Day," she laughed. "That’s the Nazis celebrating the 9 May parade," the president added.

It is worth noting that the main part of the press conference has come to an end at that time.

At this meeting, Zelenskyy, among other things, awarded Robert Metsola the Order of Merit of the first degree "for significant personal merits in strengthening interstate cooperation, supporting state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a significant contribution to the popularisation of the Ukrainian state in the world".

Roberta Metsola was among the first MEPs to visit Ukraine following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. She travelled to Kyiv on 31 March and saw Zelenskyy on 1 April. At the time, the Russian military was still positioned on the outskirts of Kyiv.

During Metsola's visit in May 2024, she predicted that initial negotiations with Ukraine would begin in June.