Zelenskyy calls on communities to agitate at their level for increased intl support for Ukraine
Ukrainian communities can and should become another channel of influence on Ukraine's partners in order to increase the allocated support, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a meeting of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on Tuesday.
"It is important that communities work with other communities in Europe and the United States. Decentralization reform in Ukraine is only gaining momentum, (whereas) all over the world, in the USA, local authorities are very strong … And they have a strong influence on the central government in the United States. The more you communicate, have common projects, convey the real details of what is happening in Ukraine, neither in chatter nor in the media space, but in reality, as they say, ‘on the ground,’ the more these communities will influence the White House," the president said.
According to him, communities should emphasize the need for schools and kindergartens, agricultural farms and the protection of their air defenses.
"The work of the communities is important. The communities are exerting pressure inside their countries," Zelenskyy summed up.
He recalled that the United States, as the largest donor to Ukraine, decided to allocate $177 billion, half of which came in the form of weapons, but many of these funds have not yet reached Ukraine, and communities should convey to their partners the need for practical allocation of this assistance.