This Saturday March 30 marks 10 years, to the day, of his election at the head of Paris. Before this anniversary which she celebrated in advance, last weekend, by opening the doors of the Hôtel de Ville to Parisians, Anne Hidalgo was traveling to kyiv this Thursday March 29. His fourth visit to Ukraine since Russia's invasion of the country in February 2022.
Hidalgo moved to a shelter
“Our support for the Ukrainian people must never weaken, Paris stands unwaveringly at their side,” declared the Mayor (PS) of Paris who met on site with her Ukrainian counterpart, the Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko as well as the First Lady Olena Zelenska . During this visit, the Parisian elected official visited the training center of the Olympic team, the Lokomotiv stadium - bombed in January - and met Ukrainian athletes.
Accompanied by Éric Lejoindre, mayor (PS) of the 18th arrondissement and Rémi Ferraud, socialist senator from Paris, she had to take refuge in an underground shelter while she spoke with the mayor of kyiv in the middle of the day.
“I had to move the meeting with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, to a shelter. An air alert was issued during our talks,” Klitschko said on Telegram. Comments reported by Ukrainian media. This alert “was linked to the takeoff of a Russian MiG-31K plane capable of carrying Kinjal missiles”, known as “hypersonic”, reports the European Pravda media.
The meeting between the mayor of Kyiv @Vitaliy_Klychko and the mayor of Paris @Anne_Hidalgo continues in the underground shelter, during the air alert for the Russian attack. This is the 4th visit of the mayor of Paris to Kyiv since the large-scale Russian war. pic.twitter.com/5NsGYAC6LR
— Iryna Krasnoshtan (@i_krasnoshtan) March 28, 2024
“To the Ukrainian athletes that I was able to meet and to all the others who are impatiently awaiting the Games: Paris will welcome you like heroes, you will be at home there,” declared Anne Hidalgo during this visit.
The mayor of kyiv took advantage of these exchanges, certainly disrupted, to present her with a medal of honor for her contribution to the defense of the city, thanking her in particular for the humanitarian aid provided by Paris, generators and others equipment.
Read alsoWith the “Kyiv – to the Ukrainian People” garden, Ukraine now has its own park in Paris
The Ukrainian soldier himself traveled to Paris in August on the occasion of Ukraine's independence day and inaugurated the “Garden of Kyiv – to the Ukrainian people” near the avenue of the Champs-Élysées (8th century), recalls the City of Paris.
“My city could not host the Games by turning a blind eye to what Russia is doing”
During her exchange with Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, Anne Hidalgo recalled her position on the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) of Paris 2024. “My city , which is a city committed to human rights, to the freedom of peoples and the self-determination of peoples, could not host the Games while turning a blind eye to what Russia is doing towards you,” he said. she declared.
“Your city is a symbol of freedom, of the fight for democratic values and respect for human rights,” Olena Zelenska in turn greeted during her speech, reports The Odessa Journal. It is unthinkable that Russian athletes, especially those who openly support the bloody war in Ukraine and are active military personnel, would use the Olympics to legitimize aggression. »
She also welcomed Hidalgo's support for the idea
“to organize a concert by the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra in Paris on the eve of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”. The mayor of Paris also invited the Ukrainian delegation to the City Hall in July.
Finally, the wife of the Ukrainian President congratulated the developments made in Paris in terms of accessibility and inclusiveness. She notably mentioned the QAA (neighborhoods with increased accessibility) developed in the capital. “Our disabled people, whether they are affected by war or other life circumstances, should have every opportunity to live fully,” comments the First Lady, inspired.