Ukrainian journalists visited Brussels within the press-tour supported by the EU Delegation to Ukraine

Last week, a group of Ukrainian journalists from several leading national and regional media visited Brussels as part of a press tour organised with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine. The purpose of the trip was to familiarise its participants with the decision-making mechanisms in the EU institutions, with a particular focus on the processes related to the political, financial and humanitarian support that the European Union has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. Among other things, the group joined a number of important on/off-the-record meetings, press briefings and events, which enabled them to gather information and share unique content with their audiences for a better understanding of how the European Union works.

Participants of the press tour in the plenary hall of the European Parliament

During the press tour, Ukrainian journalists joined HR/VP Josep Borrell’s press briefing, who announced the launch of the EU Military Assistance Mission to support Ukraine. This mission is aimed at strengthening military capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, as well as to protect civilians. Therefore, the Mission undertakes to ‌conduct specialised training for up to 15,000 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in various locations in the territory of EU Member States.

HR/VP Josep Borrell

During his speech, HR/VP Josep Borrell expressed a clear position on the EU's support of Ukraine in resisting the military aggression of the Russian Federation. After his speech, participants of the press tour had a unique opportunity to ask HR/VP Josep Borrell their questions and receive detailed answers. A particularly valuable thesis for the participants was Borrell's statement that only Ukrainians should decide what "victory" means in the war against Russia.

Sofiia Troshchuk (24 Kanal, Lviv) asks HR/VP Josep Borrell a question

During their meeting with Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis Ukrainian journalists learned more about the emergency financial support that the EU plans to provide to Ukraine during the next year. At the same time, the Vice President said that Ukraine would receive the first tranche of €18 billion of macro-financial assistance in January 2023. Vice-President Dombrovskis also spoke about concrete steps to be taken by the EU that would contribute to closer economic integration between the EU and Ukraine.

Meeting with Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis

Journalists also met with Poland’s diplomat, politician and member of the European Parliament Witold Waszczykowski. Among other things, he spoke in detail about the steadfast position of Poland, which since the beginning of Russia's full-scale military aggression against Ukraine has become a reliable ally of Ukraine and provided key support to the Ukrainian people. Witold Waszczykowski's political group Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists initiated the process of consideration in the European Parliament of the resolution regarding the recognition of the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism, which was adopted on November 23.

Meeting with MEP Witold Waszczykowski

The press tour equally included a meeting with a member of the European Parliament from Germany and the First vice-chair of the European delegation to the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Delegation Viola von Kramon. Among other things, she spoke in more detail about the aid that Germany provided to Ukraine.

Meeting with MEP Viola von Сramon

During the press tour, the journalists networked with their European colleagues, which enabled them to share their experience of working in war conditions and to talk about the methods of combating Russian propaganda circulating in the international information field. In addition to that, Ukrainian journalists Olena Myhashko (Kharkiv-based outlet Gwara Media) and Roksolana Lisovska (Suspilne) gave a unique interview for the Spainish TVE. They shared stories from their professional lives and told the European audience about the challenges that Ukrainian journalists faced during their daily work. The mission of professional journalists is extremely important, because they are like soldiers on the information battlefield: they defend the truth, debunk disinformation and document history.

Interview of journalists Olena Myhashko and Roksolana Lisovska for the television channel "TVE" (Spain)

In addition to meetings with politicians, the participants of the press tour had a unique opportunity to learn more about the work of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This is the world's largest system of providing international coordinated operational assistance in emergency situations. Since the beginning of Rusisa’s full-scale military aggression, Ukraine has received over 70 thousand tons of aid from European countries. In particular, these include humanitarian and food aid, medical equipment, special equipment, etc. Within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Ukraine will continue to receive comprehensive assistance to overcome the consequences of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

Tour of the office of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism

During the intense 3-day programe of the press tour, Ukrainian journalists received an incredible amount of unique information for their audiences and were able to evaluate the support measures that the EU was taking to help Ukraine. For representatives of regional media, such trips are especially important, because they make it possible to expand the circle of partners, find like-minded colleagues abroad and improve the quality of their content. At the same time, the experience of regional media, which are carriers of unique stories from the "fields", is extremely useful in understanding the current situation in different regions of Ukraine.