On 12 December, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa met with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ukraine Karolina Lindholm Billing.

Mariana Betsa expressed her gratitude for the support and assistance provided by the UNHCR in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. In the context of future priorities in the field of humanitarian assistance, the Deputy Minister highlighted that “the UNHCR's activities in 2025, in particular in contributing to the implementation of the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Ukraine and the UNHCR Regional Plan, which aim to support the most vulnerable population, will play an important role for the sustainable assistance to the Ukrainian people.”

The UNHCR reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting Ukraine in these challenging times by providing the necessary assistance to those affected by the war,with particular focus on the reinforced assistance to the frontline regions’ residents of Ukraine.

Special attention was paid to the support of Ukrainian educational centres abroad. In particular, the Deputy Minister stressed the importance of ensuring access to quality education in the Ukrainian language to preserve national identity and called for support for the activities of such educational centres.

In addition, the interlocutors discussed joint projects of the MFA and UNHCR aimed at strengthening the technical capacities of the Ukrainian consular service and cooperation between foreign diplomatic missions and UNHCR offices in a number ofcountries to improve conditions for Ukrainian citizens who were forced to flee their homes due to Russian aggression.