Collboni reinforces cooperation with Kharkiv in Kyiv on a day marked by a Russian attack near Saint Sophia

The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, closed his agenda in Ukraine this Friday with a day in Kyiv that coincided with an attack by the Russian army against the central headquarters of the Ukrainian security service, located a few meters from St. Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Following this attack, Collboni condemned the offensive and stated: "It is an unacceptable escalation that once again puts the civilian population at risk and moves away from a just and lasting peace. What we have experienced today confirms why Barcelona had to be here because when Kyiv is attacked, Europe is attacked. Barcelona will continue to stand with Ukraine."

The visit to the Ukrainian capital was part of the institutional mission that also took the mayor to Sarajevo and Warsaw.

Reinforcement of the agreement with Kharkiv

Before the attack, the municipal delegation, led by Jaume Collboni and the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, met in Kyiv to follow up on the collaboration agreement signed between the two cities last November in Barcelona.

According to the City Council, after evaluating the current situation, both parties have agreed to intensify cooperation to address the critical needs of the second Ukrainian municipality during the coming months. Among the priorities set are public transport, especially buses for school transport, and also the provision of generators to ensure electricity supply for the winter.

Kharkiv currently has 10 TMB buses sent from Barcelona in April. According to the information provided, these vehicles are used to ensure citizen mobility, transport the injured, evacuate people from areas under attack, and facilitate the movement of children and young people to schools.

Sister Lucía Caram also attended the meeting. During the meeting, the need to collaborate with the private sector to increase the contribution of resources was also addressed, and the possibility of establishing new agreements to expand cooperation to the Ukrainian network of front-line cities, made up of 360 cities in 12 regions, in connection with networks of European cities, was raised.

This path, according to the council, has been explored from Collboni's vice-presidency at Eurocities and has been put on the table as a work option to be evaluated soon.

Visits to affected areas and meeting with the EU

The rest of the day in Kyiv was completed with a visit to different areas of the city affected by Russian attacks. The delegation also learned first-hand about the functioning of schools and the network of shelters that allows educational activity to continue during alarm periods.

The stay in the Ukrainian capital also included a working meeting with the European Union Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova. The meeting, held on Thursday evening, served to explore possible new projects to support Ukrainian local governments within the framework of the European Commission.

Among these projects, the City Council mentions Eurocities training programs aimed at facilitating a future integration of the country into the European Union, an accession that, according to the Barcelona city council, has the support of Barcelona.