President of European Committee of the Regions visits Kyiv

CoR President meets Ukraine’s Prime Minister Svyrydenko as EU greenlights membership talks and prepares for Ukraine Recovery Conference.

The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Kata Tüttő, visited Kyiv on 14-15 June for meetings with Ukraine's prime minister and other senior Ukrainian leaders in which she reaffirmed the support of the European Union's regions and cities for Ukraine's recovery, decentralisation reforms and EU membership.

The visit came on the day that the EU's Member States approved the launch of negotiations with Ukraine on EU membership and ten days before the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk, where the CoR will represent the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

During her visit to Kyiv, President Tüttő spoke at the Governance Dialogue on Inclusive Recovery and Development alongside Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba and held bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko and senior representatives of the Ukrainian government and parliament. She had earlier stopped in Uzhhorod, on the Slovak-Ukrainian border, to meet Viktor Mykyta, deputy head of the cabinet of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a symbolic gesture underscoring the close partnership between Ukraine's and the EU's local and regional authorities, Prime Minister Svyrydenko awarded President Tüttő the Order of Princess Olga, one of Ukraine's highest civilian distinctions.

The visit comes less than two weeks before URC 2026, the major event of the year focused on Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery. The conference will focus on mobilising international support for reconstruction, accelerating Ukraine's European integration and strengthening Ukraine's regions and cities as they face the challenges of war, reconstruction and EU-related reforms.

Speaking at the Governance Dialogue on Inclusive Recovery and Development on 15 June, President Tüttő highlighted the central role played by municipalities, regions and local communities in sustaining public services, supporting citizens and delivering recovery projects despite continuing Russian attacks. She described her visit as a demonstration of the sustained political commitment to Ukraine on the part of the EU's cities and regions and their wish to strengthen cooperation with Ukrainian local and regional authorities.

The conference focused on how Ukraine's decentralisation reforms can support long-term reconstruction, strengthen public investment and improve coordination between national, regional and local authorities as the country advances reforms linked to EU accession.

During the visit, Tüttő also travelled to sites affected by Russia's latest attacks, including Kyiv's UNESCO-listed Pechersk Lavra monastery, which suffered damage during overnight bombardments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strike as one of the most serious attacks on Christian cultural heritage since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Quote:

Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions: "Ukraine's cities, regions and communities continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience under the most difficult circumstances. Europe's local and regional authorities stand with them not only in solidarity, but also in practical cooperation as they prepare for recovery, reconstruction and future EU membership."

More information:

• Governance Dialogue on Inclusive Recovery and Development: The conference brought together government ministers, parliamentarians, regional leaders, mayors, international organisations and civil-society representatives to discuss public finance, investment management, digital tools, strategic planning and multi-level governance in support of Ukraine's recovery.
• Meetings with Ukrainian leadership: In Kyiv, President Tüttő met Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba and Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, president of the Association of Ukrainian Cities and an honorary member of the CoR. Before arriving in Kyiv, President Tüttő stopped in Uzhhorod, where she met Viktor Mykyta, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada.
• ·Order of Princess Olga:Established in 1997, the Order of Princess Olga is awarded to women for outstanding achievements in public service, education, science, culture, charitable activities and contributions to society.
• Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026: The CoR will represent the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk on 25-26 June. On the eve of the conference, 24 June, the Alliance will hold a political meeting in Gdańsk, the principal side event for local and regional government. Local and regional authorities met to prepare for the URC on 26-27 April in Rzeszów, an event co-organised by the governments of Poland and Ukraine. The meeting was attended by Antje Grotheer, chair of the CoR's Working Group on Ukraine. A further milestone towards the URC was the 4th International Summit of Regions and Cities in Kyiv. The summit was attended by Alexandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk and former chair of the CoR's Working Group on Ukraine.
• The CoR and Ukrainian local and regional authorities: The CoR has been working with Ukrainian local and regional authorities since 2015, initially with a Task-Force to support Ukraine's decentralisation reforms. Subject to approval by the EU's Member States, the CoR's Working Group on Ukraine is expected shortly to be upgraded into a Joint Consultative Committee, to deepen political dialogue, help prepare Ukrainian communities for future EU membership, and further develop practical partnerships. In 2022, the CoR co-founded the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine; it serves as the Alliance's secretariat. In March 2022, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko became the CoR's first honorary member. As President of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Mayor Klitschko had already been working with the CoR prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2025, Mayor Klitschko was named the winner of the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award, given to political and civic leaders who reflect the values and commitment to local communities shown by Paweł Adamowicz, who was murdered in 2019 in the course of his duties as Mayor of Gdańsk. Mayor Adamowicz was a member of the CoR; Mayor Klitschko received the award during a plenary session of the CoR.

Contact:

Andrew Gardner

Tel: +3247.3 843 981

andrew.gardner@cor.europa.eu