THESSALONIKI – President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou visited Thessaloniki’s City Hall on Saturday, where Thessaloniki Mayor Konstantinos Zervas, the Ukrainian Consul General Vadim Sabluk, along with Greek and Ukrainian volunteers, briefed her on the action to collect humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

“We are doing whatever we can because this is an unspeakable tragedy that is happening in our home, in Europe,” Sakellaropoulou said, speaking as a representative of Greece, when the Ukrainian consul general expressed his gratitude and thanks.

The president asked about the arrangements for housing refugees arriving from the war zone, about whether children will be able to attend classes and how the humanitarian aid will be transported to Ukraine.

Zervas said that an effort will be made to extend the React programme, which has been renamed Estia and will apply for more funding, while noting that several municipalities in the Thessaloniki region have the relevant knowhow, while there were currently 150 houses available that could provide shelter to Ukrainian refugees.

Sabluk explained that the aid will be transported by trucks to the Ukrainian-Romanian border, from where it will be picked up by other means of transport, adding that children from Ukraine were also already attending classes at the city’s German School and English-language schools.

Other officials reported that 120 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including clothing, medicines, food and other goods, have been collected so far.