King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has visited Ukraine for the first time since the war began
This is reported by the Swedish public broadcaster SVT. A video of the King’s visit has also appeared on Zelenskyy’s social media accounts.
He said that the King began his visit to Ukraine by paying tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers: “We are very grateful for this respect. The memory of each and every one of them is very important to us. Of the defenders of Ukraine who fought against Russian aggression. They fought not only for our country, but also to protect the whole of Europe, so that Russian madness and murder would not spread further.”
Yuriy Kholod, acting head of the Lviv Regional Council, stated that this is King Carl XVI Gustaf’s first visit to Ukraine in 14 years.
According to media reports, the Swedish king will visit the city of Lviv during the day. He is accompanied by Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maria Malmér Stenergård.
As part of the visit, Carl XVI Gustaf and Zelenskyy will attend a wreath-laying ceremony for Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war. Visits to schools and hospitals are also on the agenda.
This is not the first meeting between the Swedish monarch and the Ukrainian president. Indeed, Carl XVI Gustaf hosted Zelenskyy during his visit to Sweden in August 2023. The King himself visited Ukraine in 2008 — at that time, he visited villages in the Kherson region, where Russian Empress Catherine II had resettled Swedes at the end of the 18th century.
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