As part of the MistoMatch program, which aims to develop lasting partnerships between Ukrainian and French cities, Chaumont and Liubotyn have taken a new step in their rapprochement.
After an initial videoconference discussion to discuss avenues for collaboration, the Mayor of Chaumont, Christine Guillemy, traveled to Ukraine this week to meet with her counterpart Leonid Lazurenko and explore the city of Liubotyn, located in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine.
Accompanied by our Ukrainian partner Cities4Cities, the Mayor of Chaumont was welcomed by the mayor, his municipal team, and local service managers. The French delegation visited several key locations in the town, including the administrative services center, the children’s music school, the municipal library, the local history museum, as well as the House of Culture and the train station. The Franco-Ukrainian delegation then paid their respects at the Alley of Glory, paying tribute to the defenders who fell for Ukraine.
The visit continued with a tour of the city hospital, the primary care center, a high school, and a preschool equipped with a protective shelter, illustrating the efforts made by the municipality to ensure the continuity of public services despite the war.
“We wish to offer our support to a Ukrainian city that is resisting to defend our shared values. The important thing is to shape a better world together for the future of our countries, Europe, and our youth.“
– Christine Guillemy, Mayor of Chaumont
This first on-site meeting marks an important step in building a future partnership between the two municipalities, with the aim of defining concrete areas of cooperation in the coming months, particularly in the areas of health, education, and culture. The next step will be a visit by a delegation from Liubotyn to Chaumont to continue this dialogue and bring the first joint projects to fruition.
“Thanks to the support of several European countries, particularly France, we can achieve victory.”
Leonid Lazurenko, Mayor of Liubotyn
Three years and three months after the start of the large-scale war, this exchange embodies the surge of solidarity that is uniting more and more French communities with Ukrainian cities, in a spirit of support, reconstruction, and European fraternity.
