Administrator Samantha Power’s Travel to Belgium to Meet with European Union Officials

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif:‎

Today, Administrator Power and her delegation, which included senior leadership of the Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration, met in Brussels, Belgium, with senior European Union (EU) officials and representatives of EU member states to discuss coordinated efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis resulting from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

Administrator Power met with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, as well as her Head of Cabinet, Bjoern Seibert  Siebert, to reiterate the United States commitment to close coordination with the EU in responding to the growing emergency needs of the people of Ukraine. The Administrator praised the EU for its actions in recent days to enforce hard hitting economic sanctions on Russia, provide generous humanitarian assistance, and consider blanket protections for Ukrainians in the European Union.

Administrator Power next met with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič to discuss coordination of European and U.S. humanitarian response efforts to reach displaced Ukrainians, including those trying to reach safety in neighboring countries. They also discussed the need for urgent action to reach those hunkering down in shelters in Ukraine’s cities who may soon run out of critical supplies as Russia’s onslaught continues. They stressed the need to further encourage and support frontline neighboring countries to expedite the processing of Ukrainian refugees, and they agreed to coordinate closely to more effectively assist people both within and outside of the country’s borders.  

Administrator Power also met Ambassadors to the European Union from countries bordering Ukraine—Tibor Stelbaczky, Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary; Andrzej Sadoś, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland; Iulia Matei, Permanent Representative of Romania; Petra Vargova, Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic, as well as Daniela Morari, Ambassador  Head of the Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the EU. The Administrator and U.S. Ambassador to the EU Mark Gitenstein thanked them for their generosity in welcoming Ukrainians seeking refuge. She remarked at how encouraging it was to see that domestic populations within those countries were uniting behind the people of Ukraine, welcoming them into their communities in the face of Russian aggression.