 continue being with Ukraine to help rebuild what was destroyed. Thank you. Thank you, President. The floor now goes to our first honorary member, Vitaly Klychko, Mayor of Kiev. Speaking, you may speak, of course, in Ukrainian or in English. Dear members of the European Committee, dear President of the European Committee thank you very much. It's actually to repeat the words. We, Ukrainian, actually European country geographically, with our mentality we are European. We are European with our history, but it's very important to implement the European quality of life, European rules and European values. We are fighting for it now in Ukraine. And it's not easy for it, but we're ready. We're ready. Today we discuss, I listen to the old speech of my colleagues, many colleagues what's told is actually Ukrainian army destroyed the mythos regarding the biggest and strongest army in the world, the Russian army. I can explain why this happens. The Russians have much more soldier, much more equipment, much more potential, but everyone has to understand. The soldiers in the war, they die. The Russian soldier coming to Ukraine for the money, they pay, and we defending our families and our children. And I hope everyone they understand died for the money or died for you children, for the future of your children. And we, I want to repeat, we see future of our country, of our children as European country where human rights have a priority where we have press freedom, where we have the democratic standards. It's our fight. Not easy fight. I don't know. I'm a little bit depressed because, to be honest, I don't see the light end of the tunnel. I don't know how long we'll be this fight. I know, I'm more than sure we win this fight, but I don't know. It's nobody knows in the world how long we'll be this fight. Weeks, months, I hope not years. And how many Ukrainian people have to pay huge price, his life for the freedom. And one more time, thank you for everyone, for your friendship, for your participation, for your help and for your support. It's very important for us because we're fighting not just for our home country, for our children. We're fighting for every one of you because we defend the same values what we have. We defend our future because we don't know how far Russian ambition, empire, ambition have. It's bought of the national guns, it's not. We right now see it's bought of Poland. I'm doubt so many voices right now in Russia about Baltic countries. Maybe it's a board of Slovakia, maybe it's bought of Czech Republic, maybe it's bought of Germany. Maybe they have crazy idea to rebuild the air because the president of Russian Federation spent a lot of time as spy agent in the former dead air. We fighting for same values and we fighting for everyone of you. And thank you, thank you very much for everyone who support Ukraine, who give the help and especially for our children. I told today is 15,000 Ukrainian children in this summer spent four, five weeks in Europe with other children and relaxes. It's difficult to say one small story about children. It's I guess it's interesting to listen to listen to this story. I coming to our train station where I created people from Buczy Gastonio which the city is totally destroyed. One small child I guess six or seven years old, crying. I come to him and told everything will be good and don't cry please and he ask for parents, mama, papa, of his mama dead. The person who following this child told me the child don't know. He's already alone. The parents is died. Thank you for support of our children. We never forget you help and we see right now for your friends of Ukraine. And one more time, thank you from deep my heart for your help. It's very important for us and we know without your help and without your support we can't survive. And we still fighting and I'm more than sure we win because we fighting for our children, for future of our families, of our kids. Thank you one more time. Thank you for this moving intervention. The final opening statement is from the chair Yerova Lutsenko of the Khakiv Regional Council. You have the floor. Sorry. President. Yeah. Okay. Okay. European Committee of Regions. Because the way he asked for time and his. Sorry to intervene. We aren't just quite getting the interpretation. Could we have a technical check? This was all verified. Perhaps if we could ask you just to begin again, chairwoman. Sorry for that. Thank you. Bola Narada, the president of Ukraine, who was the deputy president of the European Regions of Ukraine's support, people of Ukraine have already chosen a course, a course of European, from which they are trying to fight, they are trying to link other views, but this is not going to work out. Today, I said not once, I want to repeat myself, because my colleagues, representatives of the local self-management from Ukraine, our parents, they work very hard in order for our people, citizens of Ukraine to be able to live in those regions, in those places where there are no combat actions. I was able to come, but two days ago, I was in Kharkiv myself. Our people do not leave Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelensky, they work wholeheartedly. What is the support of the committee? We say openly, it is really important for our country, it is really important for Ukrainians, because Ukraine is a European country, and Ukraine is a friendly country that wants to be together with Europe. Today, I spoke with the committee about cooperation and support of the local self-management in regional levels. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that it is very important to start actively, to support a lot of people who already have cooperation in the regional level. For the local self-management, the mayor, the head of the regional council, all the friends of the people who spoke with each other, with the need for help, with the need for help after the end of the war to renew our regions. Therefore, I think that today we have worked very hard for our Ukraine, for our Ukraine. Because if the committee of the European Council actively starts this initiative, which already exists in some regions, with the help of cooperation, I think that our mayor, our cities will be much easier and will understand much more what city, what region of the European region is helping, helping humanitarian aid, helping renewing in the future. I think that in the near future. I just heard that Mr. Klitschko, he really said that we do not understand when it will end. But no, no meter of our territory, no one is ready to give up. All became like a wall, all the Ukrainians united and began to fight each other on their front. Some are diplomatic, some are armed with the power of Ukraine, each has its own front, a humanitarian, volunteers and so on. And today, as never before, Ukraine is united and we thank the European partners and the regional authorities that you support our regions, that you support our country and that you understand clearly that today is not a special operation, but a real tough war that hundreds of people, children are dying and no one can hide it, even if they try. So I thank you for your support and for today's session, for the support of all members of the European Commission and the European Commission. Thank you very much, Chairman. We will now take questions from journalists. I propose to take the first question from inside the room and then the second question would come from our online audience. So we have the first question from the Polish press. Please indicate your name and which of our guests you're interested in. Mateusz Kica from Polish Press Agency. I've got a question to Mr Klitschko about information that deeply shocked me today. In the first two weeks of April, 400 Russian rapes of children and adults were reported to helplines. What is the reaction of Ukrainians to those horrible events? Is it fear? Is it hatred towards the occupant? What do you think about that? And if I may, second question, what does your work as a local government official look like now? What is everyday life like in Kiev? Can you go to restaurant, have a coffee to take a break from those horrors? And one more question to Mr President. I wanted to ask you about this good energy crisis, but you already mentioned that. So I will ask you about what are the plans of the Community of the Regions further support of Ukraine. Thank you. Thanks. So one question for Mr Klitschko to whom I give the floor and then afterwards a question for our president. Mr Klitschko, you have the floor on the energy question. I want to, this voice will listen from morning to evening. This means everyone have to go to bunkers and say his life. It's where managers responsible for life as a people is the main priority and also responsible for services, what we have to give. Before the war and population in our hometown in capital of Ukraine was 3.5 million people and the majority of the people are creates to safety part of Ukraine and also outside of Ukraine. Right now the people slowly coming back and life coming back in Kiev, but we have not forget. It's the satellite city. Borodianka is totally destroyed and right now we help to the satellite city giving so much help and to rebuild the apartments, the buildings which totally destroyed and right now our priority. I have a feeling it's morning, evening, morning, evening is nonstop already two months, but our priority right now to give services to the people electricity, water, heating, public transportation have to work and right now it's not so easy like before the war, but a lot of challenges and also a lot of refugees in our hometown. We give to everyone services regarding children, which with some green card or ever create not Ukrainian children equate not to Ukraine to Russia. It's I can call that kidnapping. Kidnapping. It's the Ukrainian citizens. Without his will moved to Russia is kidnapped. It's it's prosecution case against Russia. Russians in this war we see in every war have a clear rules. This war doesn't have rules. If we see the old people killed, children killed, women's killed, destroyed self-government, kidnapped the mares. Mayor of the stomach bring the medication and food to his citizens and was killed from Russia's soldiers. And the target self-government right now in occupied territory and we see because the self-government is base is base for every country and that wise target from Russian aggression. Right now a lot of challenges and we very appreciate we need the help and we will be very thankful for help in reconstruction of our city because Mariupol totally destroyed. Kharkiv half of the city is destroyed. Chernihiv half of the city destroyed. Mariupol, the Irpene, Buche, Gostomyel, Baradyanka totally destroyed and a lot of bridges infrastructure and economy of our country is destroyed with this war and we have to rebuild that slowly and without Francis will be do it very difficult. Thank you for your question. Thank you for the response, President. Well, from the very first moment we were next to our colleagues in the border regions and municipalities with Ukraine in the countries that are bordering with Ukraine and of course are the ones who are receiving especially in the first period most of the refugees that were fleeing from this horrible war and we immediately organized the platform in order for regions and cities to know how to help, how to send the military in aid. So we launched an info support hub to help them understand how it works and how they could support the efforts and support the refugees of Ukraine in these areas. Secondly, we are demanding after my visiting in these border regions we are demanding from the European Union that the EU simplifies the way regions and cities can access the EU funds. Today there are five EU programs that money is drawn from to support these efforts so what we need is not one more fund but what we need is a tool to facilitate mayors and governors, presidents of regions of these areas to be able to absorb this money and use it to support this humanitarian crisis. And thirdly, what we want is to help pull expertise from our cities and regions in Europe in order to be able to help Ukraine rebuild its cities and of course we will call the European Union for allocation of more funds towards this direction. Thank you President. We have time for a couple more questions from our online audience and I would ask if we could, we would suggest a group please. So first question from Spanish television and then a second question from Pascal Hansens of Agents Europe. So Spanish television, Talia you have the floor for your question. Okay, thank you. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear. Okay, nice. I would like to ask to the mayor of Kyiv about if they are worried about the balance of the Russian troops especially in the south near to Mary Paul city and other cities and in the east in Lugansk and Donetsk and etc. near to Harkov too. What about the advance of the Russian troops? Thank you. Thanks for the question and the final question from Pascal Hansens of Agents Europe. Your question Pascal. Yes, hello. Can you hear me? You can hear you loud and clear. And can you see me also? Okay, my first question is to Mr. Tsitsikostas regarding this facility. I would like to know if you could explain to us how this facility could work precisely. And if we do have former examples of such facilities by the past, in order to help local and regional authorities to use the EU funds, for instance. And then my question is to Mr. Klitschko and Miss Yeo Havan Senko. Did you already receive completely money from the European Union to help you completely underground already? And do you think that the help of the EU is currently enough in comparison to some other states who help you, such as the United States? And do you know how much money or how much help you would need to reconstruct your cities? Thank you. Thanks for those questions. We'll start with Mr. Klitschko on the question of the military action around Ukraine and on the concrete help. Mr Klitschko, you have the floor. My second question is right now, the active fires of war and right now the battle, huge battle in east of Ukraine around the harkiv and I'm not involved in, I'm not military, but I received information from military people, the Russians tried to occupy the whole country. And it's the couple of years ago, we think the goal is Crimea, it's not. The next gas is not the whole Ukraine and the target is still the key capital of Ukraine because capital is symbolic status. It's heart of the country. And that's why, that's why they try to occupy the key was our soldier defend our city and right now the Russians change the strategy and go try to step by step to occupy the east of Ukraine and and south of Ukraine days huge battle every day. We keep fingers crossed and for our soldier and we help a lot and we are more than sure we win because I'm former fighter told you. It's not a matter how big are you, how strong are you, it's much more important point is spirit and will to win. It's Ukrainian soldier have huge motivation to defend the family and we win this war because it's our homeland, it's our home country, and we're ready to die but never stay in the need. We defend our country, defend our family and regard in second question to spend the time regarding reconstruction of buildings. It's our central government, central government right now right now calculate it's more than 800 billion US dollar is whole country. Because destroyed so many apartments so many buildings breaches roads, the whole economy it's we the economy for our country is destroyed. Regarding our hometown, more than 128 buildings was destroyed in in Kiev. But satellite city, we not ready to calculate it's. We guess is hundreds of millions US dollar, I don't know exactly right now we calculate and nobody ready to give exactly numbers but first priority for us. Stop the war. And after that the second step, we have to rebuild our country and we'll be very happy to make a national plan with our friends to make Ukraine to rebuild Ukraine and make Ukraine stronger stronger stronger strong Ukraine is stronger year and also we always was peaceful country where leads peaceful people, we know was aggressive to anyone, but right now we have to defend our country, but we still peaceful, but and ready to rebuild information we have after this is very important step we win the war enough that the second step to rebuild the economy. Thank you. Thank you very much. I want to answer to the question about this facility. First of all, I repeat that it is not a new fund that we are asking for. It is a tool, a mechanism in order to make these funds available and easily accessible to mayors and governors in these border regions, receiving all these refugees and having to deal with all these issues. In other words, under one set of rules. As currently, as I said earlier in my intervention, there are five different EU programs that intervene with cases of emergency. European regional funds, European social funds, civil protection aid food aid asylum migration fund so there are many funds. The need is an unprecedented simplification of effort in order to simplify the work for the funds for the people who are asking for these funds. Maybe an example can be the current projects in cohesion where you apply the rules of a single leading fund to use resources of a number of different EU financial tools, we've done it already. We can copy this method. It has been done in the past in the European Union. So what is crucial now is that the Commission works with us and help us because we need to understand that the fight that the local and regional authorities give on the ground is a fight that need to be answered quickly. We don't have time to lose. We have to cut red tape and cut bureaucracy. And I really thank Commissioner Ferreira for her commitment, because I'm sure that she will do everything in her hand to make this a possibility. Thank you very much. Indeed, that brings to an end our conference on day 62 of the war in Ukraine. We thank our guests from Ukraine we thank the journalists, and we also thank the interpretation for facilitating our work here this evening. Thanks to everyone. Thank you.