"We want to show our political support in the light of Slovenia's all-round assistance to Ukraine in the difficult times of Russian military aggression.  We also want to reaffirm our commitment to the policy of territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. We will continue to provide humanitarian assistance and contribute to post-war reconstruction," said Prime Minister Golob on his arrival in the Ukrainian capital.

The purpose of the visit is to show our political support in the light of the all-round assistance that Slovenia has so far provided to Ukraine and will continue to provide in the future. The visit will also be an opportunity to announce further humanitarian assistance and cooperation in the reconstruction of Ukraine, to strengthen regular political dialogue and to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries.

Slovenia is interested in participating in Ukraine's recovery. In his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Prime Minister underlined that Slovenia is ready to engage in the reconstruction of the Kharkiv region, in particular the city of Izyum. The city of Kharkiv is twinned with Maribor, and the Slovenian consulate there was destroyed by a Russian missile in the first days of the aggression.  Prime Minister Golob and President Zelensky also discussed Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union and NATO."Slovenia welcomes the decision of the European Council to grant candidate status to Ukraine. This is an important signal to the Ukrainian people that Russian aggression will not destroy their hope for a free and democratic world."   

In Kyiv, the Slovenian Prime Minister also met his host, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. He expressed his full political support to the Ukrainian leadership and his solidarity with the Ukrainian people. He also stressed the interest of the Slovenian side to start actively thinking about how to build on the cooperation established during the Russian aggression in the post-war period. Slovenian companies are not unfamiliar with the Ukrainian market, and it would be a good idea to lay a solid foundation for future economic relations now. The Prime Minister and his host also touched on foreign policy issues, including Slovenia’s candidacy for the UN Security Council. In this context, he thanked the Ukrainian side for its support for Slovenia's efforts to become a non-permanent member at the upcoming elections in New York.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a ceremony commemorating the victims of the Russian invasion and a summit on Russia's accountability for crimes in Ukraine, which will also be attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger and Moldovan President Maia Sandu.