President Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers, wrote condolences, and met with the Turkish ambassador, honoring the victims of the recent devastating earthquakes during his visit to the Turkish embassy in Ukraine on Feb. 11, the President’s Office reported.
“We share the pain of the Turkish people and help in this difficult time,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine sent 80 emergency workers and 16 pieces of engineering equipment to assist Turkey in clearing the rubble, Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, the spokesman of the State Emergency Service, said on Feb. 11. Ukraine also brought in 10 canine units to help find survivors, according to Khorunzhyi.
Zelensky issued a decree on Feb. 7 ordering to send humanitarian aid to Turkey to help “overcome the consequences” of the devastating earthquakes.
Two powerful quakes at magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6. The earthquakes have killed at least 24,000 people, CNN reported.
Five Ukrainian citizens could still be trapped under the rubble in Turkey, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Feb. 9. One citizen was hospitalized, according to Nikolenko.
