Following the temporary transfer of the Italian Embassy to Lviv in western Ukraine, Italy has decided to transfer its Embassy to Kyiv.
Ambassador Pier Francesco Zazo announced the decision through a Twitter post on April 15, in which he stressed that Italy stands with Ukrainian institutions. He also reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to help Italian citizens in Ukraine, to promote dialogue and to support solutions towards peace and an end to hostilities, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
On the same day, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi di Maio, announced via another message on Twitter that the embassy would be operational from the following Monday, April 18.
“Ambassador Zazo has just arrived at #Kyiv has reopened the embassy, which will be fully operational from Monday. He is the symbol of an Italy that wastes no time, that never ceases to believe in diplomacy and that constantly seeks peace. Thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of the Italian government,” he noted.
The refugees from Ukraine who have arrived in Italy so far are more than 90,000, between 13,000 and 14,000 settled in the city of Rome alone.
Italy is not alone in returning its representative mission to Kyiv, as EU High Representative Joseph Borrell has also said that the EU Delegation to Ukraine will return to Kyiv.
While the Italian Embassy in Ukraine is operational again from the Kyiv office located in Yaroslaviv Val 32 B, the temporary office in Lviv is no longer functional.
The Embassy has stated that due to the war, the provision of the following services is temporarily suspended:
- legalizations
- value statements
- visa applications
- issuance of passports
In the same way, on April 18, Spain announced that it would reopen its embassy in Kyiv very soon.
“We will reopen the Spanish Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine shortly, in the next few days, as another proof of the commitment of the Spanish government, of Spanish society, with the Ukrainian people,” he said. added. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emphasized in this regard.
In addition, the Spanish authorities also announced on 6 April that they expelled about 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff after the discovery of a mass grave in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Other countries like Germany, France and Lithuania have also expelled Russian diplomats.
Moreover, the deputy head of the office of the Ukrainian president, Ihor Zhovka, recently said that the Union sanctions were too little too late and stressed the need for a ban on Russian gas.
Meanwhile, Borrell and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to support an oil ban.
>> Timeline of Ukrainian refugees reaching EU countries amid Russian invasion
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