Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met with Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and leading European figures who are forming a task force to address the ecological damage caused by the 16-month-old Russian invasion.
The environment task force includes Greta Thunberg, former Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Margot Wallström, European Parliament Vice-President Heidi Hautala and former Irish President Mary Robinson.
Mr. Zelensky said that the creation of this group was “a very important sign of support for Ukraine”. “It’s very important, we need your professional help,” he said.
Greta Thunberg said Russian forces are “deliberately targeting the environment, livelihoods and homes” and thus “destroying lives”.
The task force’s goals are to assess environmental damage resulting from the war, formulate mechanisms to hold Russia accountable, and undertake efforts to restore Ukraine’s ecology.
The meeting in the Ukrainian capital came as fighting continued across the country.
Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin said two people were killed in the region’s capital in a Russian strike that hit residences, a medical center and a school where residents were queuing for receive humanitarian aid. Another person was killed in an early morning strike on the village of Bilzoerka, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
The presidential office said Thursday morning that at least eight civilians had been killed in Russian attacks in the past 24 hours.
Mr Zelensky also met with former US Vice President Mike Pence, who is visiting Kyiv. Mr Pence, who has championed US support for Ukraine, is a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
“We like that the two main American parties, Republican and Democratic, remain united in their support for Ukraine. And, of course, we feel the strong support of the people of the United States,” Mr. Zelensky told Mr. Pence, according to the presidency’s website.
In Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican envoy for the search for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill, a supporter of the war, said: “It is very important that the Christian communities of East and West take part in the process of reconciliation,” according to a video released by the Russian Church.