Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) and Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) arrived on Saturday at 7.45 a.m. (06.45 a.m. Belgian time) in kyiv for a visit kept secret until the last minute. This unexpected visit comes as winter is approaching in Ukraine and new bombardments have sounded in some cities of the country, notably in Kherson where 15 civilians lost their lives on Friday.
This is the first time since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, that members of the Belgian government have visited the country. Many European leaders and heads of government have already been there previously, except the Hungarian Viktor Orbán, close to Putin. This means that Alexander De Croo’s visit was long overdue…
“It’s a trip that is unfortunately necessary. We see that the situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult now with winter. Russia is attacking the very population, with enormous damage and constant crimes against humanity”, commented Alexander De Croo before boarding a train specially chartered for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. All the windows of the train have also been hidden, for safety.
The purpose of this visit? Support Ukrainians and their president. Belgium does not come empty-handed. “Since the start of the war, we have been at around 220 million euros. And there, we are providing an additional 37.4 million euros, which are both humanitarian aid and aid military. We are also very committed to reconstruction, we will participate in the reconstruction of hospitals, schools and B-FAST will also bring generators. It is very important at the moment “detailed Hadja Lahbib.
In total, Belgium has already released 221.7 million euros in aid to Ukraine since the start of the war, broken down as follows: 145 million euros in military aid and 76.7 million euros civil aid.
Alexander De Croo and Hadja Lahbib will meet the Ukrainian President on Saturday morning.