Oleksiy Chernyshov, Ukrainian Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv, and Oleksandr Senkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv, addressed the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities meeting in Strasbourg.
“In Mariupol, 70% of the housing has been destroyed”, said Oleksandr Senkevych, speaking on video from a shelter in Kyiv to representatives of 150,000 towns and regions across Europe. He emphasised the fate that has befallen their Ukrainian counterparts: the mayor of Gostomel killed during a bread distribution, others kidnapped and even tortured. “We need your voice to get them released”, he said, before calling on members of Congress to remain “consistent” and “step up the pressure on the aggressor” by using their access to citizens, associations and political parties to “find solutions that protect the skies over Ukraine” and stop the activities of companies that “sponsor Russian terrorism”.
“Be proactive”, Vitali Klitschko also demanded, calling for weapons, while Oleksandr Senkevych, who spoke during the bombing, expressed his determination to do everything possible to “try to ensure a minimum of public services”.
The Minister echoed the initiative of an Austrian municipality known as “Snowflakes”, which consists of sending letters pleading for peace to Russian local and regional officials.
This initiative was mentioned several times during the debates, which ended with the unanimous adoption of a declaration intended to add the voice of European local and regional elected representatives to the chorus of those condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)