Ukrainian, Austrian presidents meet on cooperation, aid for Kiev

KIEV, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday met with his visiting Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, to discuss bilateral cooperation and assistance for Kiev, the Ukrainian presidential press service said.

During the talks, Zelensky and Van der Bellen talked about energy, economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, and the development of Ukrainian communities.

"We have also discussed the issues of our political cooperation in Europe and other international platforms," Zelensky told reporters after the talks.

Zelensky thanked Austria for pushing forward humanitarian ties and providing 200 million euros (about 219 million U.S. dollars) in assistance for Ukraine.

Zelensky also urged Austrian businesses to increase cooperation with their Ukrainian partners on the reconstruction and the modernization of Ukraine's energy sector.

For his part, Van der Bellen, who arrived in Kiev earlier in the day, said Austria will strongly support the Ukrainian people by all possible means, including through the provision of humanitarian aid.