Greta Thunberg meets with Zelensky to form 'climate working group'
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Thunberg's proposed working group claims that it wants to evaluate the environmental damage from the war, and initiate efforts to revive Ukraine’s ecology by formulating “mechanisms to hold Russia accountable.”
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Climate activist Greta Thunberg at a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine on June 29, 2023. (AP)
As part of a proposal to form a “working group” on the environmental damage caused by the war in Ukraine, climate activist Greta Thunberg had a talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday at the presidential palace.
With the presence of former Swedish Deputy PM Margot Wallstroem, European Parliament VP Heidi Hautala, and former Irish President Mary Robinson, Thunberg directed her criticism toward Russia.
The climate activist claimed that Russia was "deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihoods and homes. And therefore also destroying lives. Because this is after all a matter of people.”
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Zelensky asked for "professional help” to Western activists at the conference, thanking them for the “compact of very concretic [sic] steps” that sends “a very important signal of supporting Ukraine.”
Протидія екоциду та всім іншим руйнівним наслідкам російської агресії є одним із пунктів Української формули миру.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 29, 2023
Сьогодні зустрівся з учасниками та учасницями Міжнародної робочої групи щодо екологічних злочинів Росії. Обговорили передусім катастрофічні наслідки російського… pic.twitter.com/YdDANLJNs0
The proposed working group claims that it wants to evaluate the environmental damage from the war, and initiate efforts to revive Ukraine’s ecology by formulating “mechanisms to hold Russia accountable.”
This tactic may be a way Zelensky's trying to gain accession to the EU and increase his popularity among Europeans. Thunberg's visit comes a day after Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen warned on Thursday that the European Union would be "importing instability" if its standards are eased to hasten the accession of Ukraine to the bloc.
Ukraine applied for EU membership on February 28, shortly after Russia launched its military operation. It was followed by Georgia and Moldova, who decided to fast-track the submission of their applications and similarly received the EU questionnaire in mid-April.
During the EU delegation's visit to Kiev on April 8, European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen handed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a questionnaire to begin Ukraine's accession process.
Von der Leyen emphasized that this questionnaire would lay the groundwork for further discussion on the country's membership.
Read more: Zelensky bans Russian, Belarusian publications; Cultural war drags on
