Mariupol is the center of the Greek minority in Ukraine. The city is close to our hearts, but has now become a symbol of the barbarity of the war,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Last week, at least three people and a child were killed in bombing raids on the maternity and children’s hospital in the southern Ukrainian city. “The situation is getting more dangerous by the day. The center of Mariupol has been destroyed, a children’s hospital, a theater and a library have been hit. There is nothing left,” the Greek consul in Ukraine testified.
Greece has also received more than 11,000 Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion began on February 24, including 3,000 children.
Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini also offered his help. He proposed to provide the money and resources to rebuild the bombed theater in Mariupol. The Italian government has now approved its proposal. He wrote on Twitter that he is offering the theater’s restoration work “in the name of humanity.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Franceschini’s tweet with a thank you. According to Zelensky, Italy is “leading by example”. He adds that “his land will be rebuilt to the last stone”.