I welcomed President of the Generalitat of Catalonia
@salvadorilla to Kyiv on his first visit to Ukraine.
I thanked Catalonia for its solidarity and support. Catalonia is the first region in Spain to establish cooperation with three Ukrainian regions at once — Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv. Its experience is particularly valuable for our regions as Ukraine advances toward EU membership. A stronger Ukraine in the EU means a stronger and more secure Europe.
We focused on practical cooperation: rehabilitation programmes for Ukrainian children, equipment for hospitals, energy resilience, and opportunities for Catalan companies to contribute to Ukraine’s recovery and rebuilding.
I briefed our guest on Russia’s threats to freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and global food security. We discussed the importance of keeping food supplies flowing to vulnerable countries, including through Grain from Ukraine, and preventing Russia from weaponising food and fuelling further instability and migration.
We encourage Spanish enterprises to expand their operations in Ukraine, following, as mentioned by the President of the Generalitat, a remarkable example of Barcelona-based company Glovo.
I am grateful to Catalonia for sheltering Ukrainians, welcoming our children for summer stays, and providing generators to Ukrainian communities. We agreed to give our regional partnership strong practical momentum.