Zelensky meets with CDU’s German Chancellor candidate Laschet

During a working visit to Germany, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, head of the Christian Democratic Union Armin Laschet.

“The candidate for the post of Chancellor from the CDU/CSU bloc thanked the President of Ukraine for the visit to the office of the North Rhine-Westphalia in Berlin immediately after his arrival in Germany. He noted that the President of Ukraine was the first foreign leader to congratulate him on his election as the new head of the CDU,” the President’s Office informs.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked for the warm welcome and stressed that the most important thing for him was the friendly relations between Ukraine and Germany.

The President noted that Germany was an important partner of Ukraine and expressed hope that the Federal Government would continue its policy of supporting Ukraine.

"It is important for Ukraine that the next Federal Government continues its policy of supporting Ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity, promoting the EU's unity on European integration of Ukraine and Ukraine's membership in NATO," he said.

Zelensky noted that more than 60% of Ukrainians support Ukraine's accession to the EU.

As noted, the Head of State informed about the security situation in the region, especially in the context of the concentration of Russian troops and armament along the Ukrainian state border. “He also stressed the importance of intensifying the negotiation process to achieve peace in Donbas within the Normandy format and the Minsk process,” reads the statement.

The interlocutors paid special attention to the issue of Nord Stream 2. The President of Ukraine stressed that its commissioning poses a direct threat to the energy security of the EU.

In addition, Zelensky and Laschet exchanged views on the further development of trade and economic cooperation and the establishment of an even closer partnership. "Germany is one of the most important trade and investment partners of Ukraine," said the President of Ukraine.

The parties also discussed the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of further practical support from the European Union, in particular Germany, in providing vaccines to the population of Ukraine.

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