Czech President Petr Pavel began his visit to Ukraine in Lviv. According to Radio Prague International, this is his third trip to Ukraine since taking office as head of state.
In Lviv, Pavel held a working meeting with local government officials. He took part in a working lunch with the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, and the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Nataliia Kalmykova. The Czech president also discussed possible areas of mutual defense assistance, particularly in the field of anti-drone defense, with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko.
Accompanied by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and other officials, Pavel took part in a commemorative event at Lychakiv Cemetery, where he honored the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
The Czech president also visited Ukrainian soldiers who are being treated for serious injuries at the Yuriy Lypa Regional Hospital for War Veterans and Victims of Repression in Lviv.
During his current visit, the Czech president is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The main theme of the trip is to express support for Ukraine, which has been resisting full-scale Russian aggression for almost four years, as well as to draw attention to the humanitarian consequences of the war and the need to rebuild the country.
Earlier, in April 2023, Petr Pavel visited Kyiv and Dnipro, and in March last year he arrived in Odesa, from where he continued his trip to the Ukrainian capital. All previous visits were also accompanied by meetings with Ukrainian leaders.