Three European prime ministers arrived in Ukraine’s ravaged capital Tuesday — after Russian airstrikes led the mayor to impose a 35-hour curfew that prevents citizens from doing anything other than racing to bomb shelters.
The government officials from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia arrived in Kyiv by train — a highly risky journey that was kept secret until they boarded because of security concerns, officials said.
The trio are the first foreign leaders to visit Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his deadly invasion Feb. 24.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal publicly welcomed them in a tweet that said, “The courage of true friends of [Ukraine]!
“Discussing support of #Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against the Russian aggression,” Ukraine’s PM added.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted photos of themselves, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński seated around a map spread out on a long table as they traveled to Ukraine.
“It is here, in war-torn Kyiv, that history is being made. It is here, that freedom fights against the world of tyranny,” wrote Morawiecki — whose chief of staff said the trip had been planned over the past few days but was kept hush-hush because of security worries.
“It is here that the future of us all hangs in the balance. [The European Union] supports [Ukraine], which can count on the help of its friends – we brought this message to Kyiv today.”
Fiala said the trip was made after consultation with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Morawiecki’s top aide, Michal Dworczyk, said the idea was discussed at an EU leaders’ summit in France last week.
An EU official said there was no “formal mandate” for the meeting but called it “a very valid initiative.”
“Every initiative to bring peace back to Ukraine is of course welcome,” the official said.”
Some leaders might also wonder: Will this jeopardize or will this improve conditions for negotiations with the Russians? It remains to be seen, of course. It’s a fine line.”Hours earlier, powerful explosions rocked the city of some 2.8 million residents before dawn in what Ukrainian authorities said were airstrikes and shelling.
Four people were killed in the attacks, which included a 15-story apartment building being hit, authorities said.
Afterward, Kyiv’s mayor, former heavyweight boxing champ Vitali Klitschko, announced the curfew beginning at 8 p.m. local time.
He said residents were forbidden from moving around the city without special permission until 7 a.m Thursday unless they’re headed to bomb shelters.
“Today is a difficult and dangerous moment,” he wrote in a Telegram post.
In another post, Klitschko vowed: “The capital is the heart of Ukraine, and it will be defended.
“Kyiv, which is currently the symbol and forward operating base of Europe’s freedom and security, will not be given up by us,” he added.
Get the latest updates in the Russia-Ukraine conflict with The Post’s live coverage.
Morawiecki called the invasion “criminal aggression” in a post on Facebook.
“At such breakthrough times for the world, it is our duty to be where history is forged. Because it’s not about us, but about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny,” he wrote.
Dworczyk told reporters the foreign delegation crossed the Polish-Ukraine border by train after 8 a.m. local time.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators also planned to hold a second day of talks as the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine entered its 20th day.
The talks between the two sides failed to make a breakthrough Monday, though they had expressed some optimism.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said the negotiators would discuss “peace, ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops and security guarantees.”
The Red Cross and the United Nations refugee agency say millions of people face food and medicine shortages along with the threats of deadly shelling and air attacks.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of people who have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion passed 3 million on Tuesday.
The UN has described the flood of people crossing into Poland and other neighboring countries as Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II.
With Post wires
