Ukrainian, Austrian presidents meet on cooperation, aid for Kiev

Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with his visiting Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, to discuss bilateral cooperation and assistance for Kiev, the Ukrainian presidential press service said.

During the talks on Wednesday, Zelensky and Van der Bellen talked about energy, economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, and the development of Ukrainian communities.

“We have also discussed the issues of our political cooperation in Europe and other international platforms,” the Ukrainian President told reporters after the talks.

Zelensky thanked Austria for pushing forward humanitarian ties and providing 200 million euros (about $219 million) in assistance for Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

He also urged Austrian businesses to increase cooperation with their Ukrainian partners on the reconstruction and the modernisation of Ukraine’s energy sector.

For his part, Van der Bellen, who arrived in Kiev earlier on Wednesday, said Austria will strongly support the Ukrainian people by all possible means, including through the provision of humanitarian aid.