On Tuesday 13 December 2022, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel travelled to Paris to participate in an international conference in support of the Ukrainian people, jointly organised by France and Ukraine.
The conference, chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, took place in the presence of Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska. The focus of the speeches of some 70 heads of delegation was Ukraine's needs in the face of Russia's attacks on its critical civilian infrastructure, particularly relating to energy and water.
The representatives of governments and international organisations present reiterated that the international community's solidarity with Ukraine and its people cannot weaken, especially with winter approaching, which is likely to aggravate the already severe current situation.
During his speech, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel called on Russia to stop its attacks, which are contrary to international law. He went on to announce the decision of the Luxembourg Government to grant a new tranche of humanitarian aid of up to €4 million to United Nations (UN) agencies (i.e. UNHCR and OCHA) as well as Luxembourg non-governmental organisations active in Ukraine (i.e. the Luxembourg Red Cross and Caritas). In addition, the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours - CGDIS) will hand over eight fully equipped ambulances to the Ukrainian emergency services this week.
Prime Minister Bettel ended his speech by reminding the Ukrainian Prime Minister and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who participated in the conference live via video conference, that Luxembourg will continue to support Ukraine and its people in solidarity and in friendship.
