Another Friendly Visit of Sister Cities: Vinnytsia, Nancy and Karlsruhe Discussed How Ukraine’s Experience Can Help Europe Prepare for Crises

The latest visit by our European partners to Vinnytsia includes a series of important meetings, as well as an opportunity to experience the culture and the rapidly developing tourism sector in our community. The key focus of the discussions was on deepening international cooperation, strengthening horizontal ties and launching promising initiatives that will benefit our communities.

At the start of the day, the delegates, together with representatives of Vinnytsia City Council and local residents, joined in a nationwide minute’s silence. They then paid tribute to the memory of the defenders who lost their lives in the russian-Ukrainian war, as well as all the civilians whose lives were taken by the war.

During the official meeting of mayors, Serhii Morhunov thanked his foreign colleagues for their contribution to strengthening our community. He noted that cooperation and established direct communication at the municipal level enables us to attract humanitarian aid, organise leisure activities for children, and develop joint medical, economic and infrastructure projects.

'It is heartening that such meetings are becoming a tradition. Thank you for once again showing courage and coming to Vinnytsia in such difficult times,' said Serhii Morhunov. 'We have already achieved a great deal since the start of our relationship. In particular, we are finalising one of the phases of the project ‘Improving the quality and efficiency of urban public transport in the centre of Vinnytsia, Ukraine’ with Germany. I would also like to thank Karlsruhe for its expert assessment and assistance in updating the Community Development Strategy – this is an important issue for us, especially during wartime. And I would like to thank the mayor and the community of Nancy for their support regarding generators and medical supplies; tomorrow we will be signing a document on the prosthetics project. This is an important area of cooperation for medical professionals in Vinnytsia, as well as in Karlsruhe, Nancy and Lublin, which is also participating in this project.'

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss areas for further international cooperation – ranging from internships and school exchanges to the implementation of projects focused on post-war reconstruction and community resilience, particularly in the fields of energy and healthcare.

'In addition to the important projects in the areas of hospital support, prosthetics and the provision of generators, which we will continue to work on, I would like next year to be a year of deeper acquaintance and cooperation between the young people of our cities. We hope for Ukraine’s victory and the end of the war, as there are many pupils and teachers in Nancy who would like to come to Vinnytsia for school exchanges and joint projects. We must start preparing the younger generation for this post-war cooperation right now,' said the Mayor of Nancy, Mathieu Klein.

Serhii Morhunov added that our community’s main priorities remain unchanged. At present, the Vinnytsia City Council team is focusing its attention on preparations for the upcoming heating season.

'We are looking to the future in the context of the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine and Vinnytsia in particular. We have the most extensive experience in responding to critical and crisis situations. The main challenge for the whole of Ukraine right now is preparing for the heating season. Last winter showed just how important this is. We understand that the enemy will not stop, so we have developed a resilience programme at city, regional and national levels, which includes strengthening the decentralisation of energy and heat supply, as well as protecting critical infrastructure from air strikes,' emphasised Serhii Morhunov.

The mayors of Karlsruhe and Nancy emphasised the value of such experience for the security of the whole of Europe. In particular, the Mayor of Karlsruhe, Frank Mentrup, noted that European cities are keen to learn from Ukraine’s expertise in protecting critical infrastructure, which is changing the nature of our cooperation: Ukraine is shifting from being a recipient of aid to becoming a mentor in crisis response.

'We are now thinking about how to learn to protect our infrastructure. Ukraine is gradually transforming from a country that everyone helps into a country that can itself share its experience in preparing for crisis situations. This is changing both our cooperation and its focus. Today, I have been tasked with discussing with a regional enterprise how to rebuild a resilient and reliable energy infrastructure together with Ukraine. Such plans are currently one of the government’s recurring requests,' noted Frank Mentrup.

In addition, the foreign delegates met with Vinnytsia city councillors that day. Pavlo Yablonskyi, Chairman of Vinnytsia City Council, presented the work of the council and outlined the community’s key priorities. First and foremost, these are Security and Defence, Resilience, and Care. 'The war has come very close; it has entered every family, every home. And, of course, all the work of the city council has been adapted to the challenges we face today. We continue to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, maintain the roads and urban infrastructure, and are working on a major accessibility project. Because today, many of our defenders are returning from the front with injuries and amputations, and our task is to ensure that those returning from the war can move freely, comfortably and with dignity around the city. Accessibility is a sign of respect for those who have defended and continue to defend Ukraine. And the community must be ready to welcome them not with words, but with concrete actions,' said Pavlo Yablonskyi.

Another venue for continuing the dialogue was the VinIndustry industrial park, where discussions focused, in particular, on the economic resilience of communities during wartime.
According to Serhii Morhunov, to strengthen the community’s resilience, the city council team is implementing autonomous energy supply, continuing to modernise public transport and carrying out important infrastructure projects, including the reconstruction of water treatment facilities and the sewerage system.

The day’s visit was also marked by a packed cultural programme. The foreign guests, in particular, visited the Town Hall – a building in the heart of the city that has witnessed significant historical events. The delegates were shown a mini-exhibition entitled ‘Relics of Self-Governance’, which demonstrates our city’s deep historical ties with European culture. On display were a collar, a key and seals – relics that bear witness to the continuity of municipal self-government dating back at least to the 17th century, when Vinnytsia was granted Magdeburg rights.

Such events symbolise shared values, as the twinning relationship between our cities continues to grow stronger, and the willingness of both sides to further cooperation opens up new prospects for development.