PRESS RELEASE : Head of Ukraine President’s Office Andriy Yermak meets with European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič [October 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 19 October 2022.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a meeting with European Commissioner for Crisis Management, European Emergency Response Coordinator Yanez Lenarčič, who arrived in our country.

At the beginning of the conversation, Yermak thanked Lenarčič for his visit to Ukraine in this tense period, when our country has been under massive attacks by missiles and drones from the Russian Federation. He said that Ukrainians have been living like this for eight months.

“This visit is a powerful signal of your support and assistance for Ukraine. We continue moving towards victory and do everything possible for this. And for us, of course, the preservation of the lives of our people is paramount,” the head of the President’s Office said.

Yermak also said that Ukrainians will always remember the attitude of the European community, citizens of the European Union states to us in this difficult time for our country.

“Today, we consider the EU to be our home, because Ukraine has received the candidate status and, we hope, will become a member of the European Union in the near future,” he said.

The special attention of the European Commissioner was drawn to the shocking scale of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which require decisive actions from all organizations that take care of compliance with the rules of international humanitarian law and the protection of human rights.

In connection with the failure of the International Committee of the Red Cross to perform its mandate, Yermak called for more active steps on the part of other international organizations, in particular the European Union, to assist in the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

In his turn, Lenarčič assured that Ukraine can continue to count on the support of the European Commission, among other things, on the continuation of unprecedented assistance in the areas that are the responsibility of the European Commissioner for Crisis Management.

Lenarčič recalled the support that has been provided to our country and the plans for further assistance, taking into account all the large-scale challenges that Ukraine is facing. In particular, he drew attention to the importance of helping Ukrainians in the cold season, when shelling of critical infrastructure threatens normal life.