At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a group of nine journalists from leading media outlets in Angola, Brazil, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe took part in a press tour to Ukraine from September 9 to 13.
This visit became the first press tour for media from Portuguese-speaking countries and the sixth for countries from Africa and Latin America to Ukraine organized by the MFA under the New Horizons strategy and as part of the first-ever communication strategies “Ukraine – African States” and “Ukraine – Latin American and Caribbean States.”
During their stay in Kyiv, the journalists met with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba. He highlighted Ukraine’s achievements and plans to build constructive and mutually beneficial relations with their regions — from opening new embassies in Africa and Latin America to deepening cooperation in food security, technology exchange, and the development of educational programs. The meeting took place after a night when Russian drones struck Poland.
“Our front line today is the front line of international law. How this war ends will determine the fate of many people around the world. Every country that does not want to face aggression must be interested in ensuring that this war ends justly and with respect for the UN Charter,” the Minister emphasized.
At a meeting with Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Ihor Bezkaravaynyi, the journalists learned about Ukraine’s comprehensive humanitarian demining efforts and shared experiences from their own countries in addressing this issue.
During their visit to the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Deputy Head Gediminas Navickas showed the journalists the consequences of the recent Russian attack on Kyiv, stressing that, in the absence of strategic advantage in the war, Russia resorts to intimidating civilians through strikes on civilian infrastructure.
The journalists also participated in the fifth First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit, held on September 10–11 in Kyiv on the initiative of Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, focused on education.
Additionally, the delegation met with the team of the President’s Office in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, experts from the Center for Civil Liberties, political prisoners, victims and witnesses of Russian crimes in occupied Ukrainian territories, as well as Ukrainian experts on FIMI — foreign information manipulation and interference.
The journalists visited sites of Russian crimes in Bucha and Irpin in Kyiv Oblast and saw firsthand the damage caused by recent Russian strikes on Kyiv’s civilian infrastructure, including the building of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In Lviv, the media representatives met with youth organizations, civil society members, and local government officials. They also visited the nationwide Superhumans Military Trauma Center, where they spoke with patients and staff and learned about modern prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, and other activities of the center.
On September 13, coinciding with Luhansk City Day, the journalists attended a symphonic evening at the Lviv Organ Hall featuring the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic and Ukrainian conductor and music director of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Natalia Stets.
The press tour of journalists from Portuguese-speaking countries to Ukraine was organized with the support of the European External Action Service, the International Renaissance Foundation, and the European Commission as part of the project “EU-Ukraine Strategic Communications Capacity-Building Initiative.”
