Cologne (dpa / lnw) - North Rhine-Westphalia wants to support the Dnipropetrovsk region in war-torn Ukraine in the future. According to the state government, a new partnership has been agreed. NRW Europe Minister Nathanael Liminski announced it on Monday during a visit to the German-Ukrainian association "Blau-Gelbes Kreuz" in Cologne, where power generators were already being loaded onto a truck to get to Dnipropetrovsk. Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine since February.
"North Rhine-Westphalia stands firmly on the side of Ukraine - and on the side of the people in the Dnipropetrovsk region," said Liminski. The "solidarity" will now be "transferred to a new level" in the future. "North Rhine-Westphalia shakes hands with the Dnipropetrovsk region - for emergency aid, for reconstruction and for a partnership on an equal footing," he says. The sending of 370 power generators worth 150,000 euros marked the start.
According to the information, it is the first partnership of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia that affects Ukraine. A written seal with details is to follow in early 2023. Ukrainian Consul General Iryna Shum said in a statement on Monday that it was a "historic event".
In the medium term, NRW wants to contribute to reconstruction, it said - through direct aid, through technical cooperation and economic cooperation. In addition, one wants to advance "future topics", such as scientific cooperation.
