Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Mayor Philippe Close of Brussels visited Kyiv, invited by Mayor Klitschko, to celebrate Europe Day. He expressed solidarity with soldiers and emphasized European identity amidst the conflict.
How Did Mayor Philippe Close Celebrate Europe Day in Kyiv?
Mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close was in Kyiv on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of the Ukrainian capital’s mayor and ex-Boxing world champion Vitali Klitschko, to celebrate Europe Day. Reaching at midday on Wednesday after an 18-hour train trip from Warsaw, Close addressed the city council of the Ukrainian capital. “My place was not next to the Commission and the European Parliament, it is next to those who are fighting here for Europe,” Close described Kyiv councillors.
Who Did Mayor Philippe Close Meet During His Kyiv Visit?”
On Thursday, he visited a section of the Ukrainian Army made up mainly of citizens of Kyiv, who were resting for a few days before returning to the front. “Among them, former municipal councillors and deputy mayors who decided to defend their country and whose lives were turned upside down,” Close expressed. “I was particularly touched by one of them, who had both legs amputated following a mine explosion and decided to stay with his unit.”
He also restated the support given by the Brussels Saint-Pierre Hospital, which persists in investing in equipment allowing the rehabilitation of people injured by war.
The hospital has sent representatives to Kyiv, while also receiving a Ukrainian delegation from the Kyiv VI Clinical Hospital and the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital for Veterans, to offer them first-hand the rehabilitation techniques for heavy musculoskeletal surgery.
Close stated that on Europe Day, “it is among these soldiers that European identity echoes the most.” During the visit, Kyiv mayor Klitschko on Wednesday about the importance of Europe Day for Ukraine.
“We Ukrainians are fighting for the right to be the region of the great European family. Geographically and historically, we are Europeans. We need European rules and standards of living. We are fighting for that,” he said.
Klitshko expressed welcoming the mayor of Brussels, the capital of Europe, for Europe Day as “something special”.
“We’re delighted to see him because his city has been a great help to us since his first visit to Ukraine. It’s an important signal for Europe and shows that we’re not alone. It’s also a signal to the Russian Federation that together we are stronger,” he contended.
What Significance Does Mayor Philippe Close’s Visit Hold?
The mayor of Brussels has enjoyed a good relationship with Kyiv’s mayor since May 2022 and the appearance of the first (medical) aid from the Brussels municipality.
The municipal council also voted against terminating the twinned-city relationship with Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with the mayor saying the link is purely symbolic.
In another related development, the Mayor of Ghent, Mathias De Clercq, was satisfied with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday. As the vice president of Europe’s largest network of cities, Eurocities, De Clercq participated in the summit held on the 8th and 9th of May.
