News Feed

Lithuanian, Portuguese presidents arrive in Kyiv

2 min read
Lithuanian, Portuguese presidents arrive in Kyiv
President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrives in Kyiv on Aug. 23, 2023 (Photo: Ukrainska Pravda / Telegram). 

The Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in Kyiv on the morning of Aug. 23, Ukraine's National Flag Day.

The visits were not announced beforehand for security reasons, and are taking place ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24.

It is Rebelo de Sousa's first official visit to Ukraine. Immediately after arriving in Kyiv, the president visited Bucha and its memorial at the site of the Russian massacre of Ukrainian civilians.

Nausėda said that he was in Kyiv "to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day together with the brotherly Ukrainian nation," and that Lithuania will support Ukraine for "as long as it takes."

Article image
President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda arrives in Kyiv on Aug. 23, 2023 (Photo: @GitanasNauseda / Twitter)

Lithuania is a close ally of Ukraine. On Aug. 17, the country, together with its Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Estonia, announced it would join the Group of Seven (G7) declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Portugal joined the declaration in July, which aims to bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. The guarantees also address sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.

Portugal is also one of 11 members of an international coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, which was announced by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Hungarian president arrives in Zakarpattia Oblast
Hungarian President Katalin Novak has arrived in Ukraine’s westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast, meeting local officials and leaders of the local Hungarian ethnic community, the Hungarian news portal Telex reported on Aug. 22.
Article image
News Feed
Video

The Kyiv Independent staff documented what it feels like to live and sleep in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks on the city. Filmed over several weeks in June and July, our journalists take shelter in bathrooms, basements, and parking garages as explosions ring out overhead.

Show More