Salvador Illa closed his official trip to Ukraine this Friday reaffirming Catalonia’s support for the country’s accession to the European Union, which he considers the best way to guarantee both Ukrainian security and that of Europe as a whole. After two days of political contacts in Kiev, the president of the Generalitat also returns with new avenues opened to strengthen economic relations with Ukraine and expand energy and health cooperation, especially in view of the coming winter. On his last day, a Russian attack hit the Security Service headquarters located a few meters from where Illa was with Zelenski and the Spanish ambassador, with none of them injured.
The attack forced the suspension of the event in which Spain’s new ambassador to Ukraine, Adela Díaz Bernárdez, was presenting her credentials to Zelenski, with Illa present. The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has “strongly” condemned the attack, which he described as an “unacceptable escalation,” and later spoke with both Illa and the ambassador to check that they were fine.
Until then, the day was marked by Illa’s support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU, as he expressed to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, during a meeting in the capital. The president also reiterated his support for the EU to strengthen aid to Kiev through frozen Russian funds, one of the demands of the Ukrainian authorities. Sybiha thanked Catalonia’s support and that Illa maintained the visit despite the deterioration of the security situation in the capital. Ukraine obtained candidate country status to join the EU in June 2022, a few months after the start of the Russian invasion, and accession negotiations formally began in June 2024. The process was later blocked by Viktor Orbán’s Hungarian government but received a new boost last June when Péter Magyar’s government lifted the veto and the Twenty-Seven began preparing to open the first negotiation block. “The defense of Ukraine is also the defense of all Europe,” Illa said in another meeting with the president of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
From Kyiv I strongly condemn the new Russian attack against the heart of the capital, near the Saint Sophia Cathedral.
It is an unacceptable escalation that threatens the civilian population, heritage, and efforts to achieve peace.
The defense of Ukraine is also the defense of Europe.
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— Salvador Illa Roca (@salvadorilla) September 4, 2026
Illa and Sybiha have also explored ways for Catalonia to send “more aid in energy and health matters, especially in view of the coming winter,” amid fears of new Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Catalonia already maintains cooperation projects in both fields and intends to expand them through the Support Plan for Ukraine. In the humanitarian field, the president of the Generalitat also met with Matthias Schmale, the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, with whom he signed a joint declaration on the Generalitat’s contribution of 800,000 euros to the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine. Since the invasion began, the Generalitat has allocated 57.5 million euros to support Ukraine, of which 38.9 million were dedicated between 2022 and 2024 to health assistance. Illa also visited the Ukrainian Border Guard military hospital this Friday along with Sister Lucía Caram. The center has received ambulances, vehicles, and medical supplies from Catalonia through the humanitarian mission of the Convent of Santa Clara, led by Caram.
The approach to Ukraine has also had an economic aspect these days. Illa met with Ukrainian businessmen this Friday and assured that “work lines” are opening to connect companies from both territories. The Generalitat and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce will organize a day dedicated to Ukraine this fall to bring the Catalan business fabric closer to the opportunities and mechanisms to participate in projects in sectors such as infrastructure, energy, health, or digitalization. “These relationships can be mutually beneficial,” celebrated the leader of the Catalan Executive.
Illa thus closes two days in Kiev in which he combined political support for Ukraine with the opening of new cooperation avenues. On Thursday he met with Volodymyr Zelenski and the Minister of Communities, Territories, and Internally Displaced Persons, Vitalii Bezghin, and signed agreements with the governors of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv to strengthen collaboration in areas such as energy, health, economy, and infrastructure recovery.
