Lipavský: Joint visit expression of support for Ukraine’s independence

A joint visit to Ukraine by the Czech, Slovak and Austrian foreign ministers is an expression of support for the political independence of that country, the Czech foreign policy chief, Jan Lipavský, said in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Mr. Lipavský also said that it was up to Ukraine to decide whether it wanted to be closer to NATO and the EU and that Russian demands regarding the country’s orientation were not a matter for discussion.

On Tuesday morning Mr. Lipavský, Ivan Korčok from Slovakia and Alexander Schallenberg of Austria met Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal. They were due to speak with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later in the day.