Mayors of the 'Visegrád Four' capitals to support public transport in Kyiv

The mayors of Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw have pledged to supply Kyiv with metros and buses. The mayors of the four capital cities, who have formed a “Pact of Free Cities”, visited Kyiv on 11 January at the invitation of Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

During the visit, which focused on deepening cooperation in the field of humanitarian aid, support for refugees, planning for post-war reconstruction, and strengthening security, Warsaw’s mayor Rafał Trzaskowski promised to supply Kyiv with 10 six-car metro trains from Warsaw Metro. The trains, which are similar to the ones used in Ukraine, are gradually being decommissioned in the Polish capital. However in Kyiv, where this model is still operating, they will be 'a valuable help - if only as a source of parts for repairs' - said Trzaskowski. “We want to help in any way we can, and we certainly will not stop helping”, he added.

Bratislava will send 25 Irisbus Citelis 12M buses to Kyiv in the coming weeks and months, Slovakia’s capital mayor Matúš Vallo announced after a meeting in Kyiv. Last year, the city of Bratislava donated trams and trolleybuses to Ukraine. In October 2022, a Prague public transport company already donated twenty trams to help the war-torn city of Kharkiv, while Budapest promised to donate 15 buses to Ukraine in December 2022.

Kyiv’s mayor Klitschko thanked his counterparts for the support and determination to help restore Kyiv and emphasised that the meeting is “evidence of effective cooperation between the cities and further support of Ukraine by European partners.”