Shmyhal and the head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry discussed aid to Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and economic cooperation between the two countries

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger during her visit to Kyiv on Friday, discussing, among other things, Austrian aid to Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and economic cooperation between the two countries.

“We highly appreciate the continuous support of Ukraine from the Austrian government and citizens in all areas. During her visit to Kyiv, Ms. Meinl-Reisinger announced that Austria will provide Ukraine with 5 million euros for demining and 2 million euros under the Grain from Ukraine initiative,” Shmyhal added on Telegram.

The Prime Minister stressed that further measures to introduce sanctions against the Russian Federation and the use of frozen Russian assets were discussed.

“I am also grateful for the support of sanctions against Russia. We expect that the pressure of sanctions on the aggressor will continue… I noted the importance of confiscating frozen Russian assets. This will become an important resource for the restoration of our country,” Shmyhal noted.

The parties also discussed aspects of economic cooperation and the upcoming visit of the Austrian business delegation to Kyiv.

“We discussed issues of economic cooperation. Austria is one of the significant investors in Ukraine. We are looking forward to the arrival of the Austrian business delegation in Kyiv to coordinate our cooperation in the future. According to the minister, many Austrian companies are interested in partnership and investment in Ukraine. I also invited them to participate in reconstruction projects,” the prime minister added.

He noted that in this context the issue of creating the position of a special representative for Ukraine was raised to improve the coordination of our cooperation in this area.

Shmyhal thanked the Austrian side for supporting Ukraine's aspirations for European integration.

“We are particularly grateful for the support of our European aspirations. Today we discussed this direction and our next steps on the path to European integration in detail. I thank Austria for its willingness to help,” he emphasized.

The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to Meinl-Reisinger for supporting Ukraine in the face of full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation.

“I received guarantees from Beate Meinl-Reisinger that Austria will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine. Thank you for standing next to the Ukrainian people in difficult times of full-scale Russian aggression,” Shmyhal concluded.

As reported, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger arrived in Kyiv on Friday. Immediately after her arrival, she and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha laid flowers at the memorial wall dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian soldiers.