Zelenska and Austrian Foreign Minister Discuss Humanitarian Aid, Academic Cooperation in Vienna
During a meeting in Vienna, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Austria’s Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, discussed enhancing humanitarian assistance for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing attacks.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Zelenska’s post on social media.
Zelenska reported that earlier on June 17, Russia had launched a massive assault involving over 400 drones and missiles across Ukraine.
She recalled that Meinl-Reisinger was among the first European politicians to personally deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2022, and that her first official visit as Foreign Minister in 2025 was to Kyiv.
The two leaders focused particularly on the humanitarian dimension of Austria’s support. “Today, it was especially important to talk about the humanitarian aspects of assistance,” Zelenska noted. “I am grateful to all who remain committed to justice in the face of this war.”
Zelenska also announced the expansion of Ukraine’s academic diplomacy initiative, the Ukrainian Studies Coalition – a state-led program aimed at combating Russian disinformation and promoting Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies abroad.
Four prominent Austrian universities, those in Klagenfurt, Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck, have now joined the coalition.
“These universities stood with Ukraine from the first month of the invasion, publicly condemning Russian aggression,” she said, adding that 67 universities worldwide have applied to join the initiative.
The coalition works to correct academic distortions, build international partnerships, and strengthen global awareness of Ukrainian history and identity.
Zelenska emphasized that defending Ukraine also means defending the truth.“Russia uses lies and propaganda as often as it uses missiles,” she said.
Separately, it was also reported that the Leopold Museum in Vienna soon offered an audio guide in Ukrainian – the seventh museum in Austria to do so.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Austria’s Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner has indicated that her country could participate in a future international peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.