Ukraine starts rebuilding schools, kindergartens with Estonia's assistance - Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a Telegram post, Ukrinform reports.

"Estonia supports our sovereignty and territorial integrity not with words, but with real steps. I am grateful to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu for this visit, during which we started the rebuilding of the most important infrastructure: schools and kindergartens," he wrote.

He said that on August 2, in the border town of Ovruch in the Zhytomyr region, a capsule was laid on the occasion of the start of construction of a kindergarten. In this context, Zelensky added: "Full reconstruction will take a lot of time and money, but the start has already taken place."

According to the presidential press service, the newly appointed Estonian foreign minister is in Ukraine on his first foreign visit. Zelensky thanked the minister for such a signal of solidarity with Ukraine. At the same time, he noted that there is no need to prove support from Estonia, as Ukrainians know about it and appreciate it.

Zelensky said that during the visit by Reinsalu, a capsule was laid in the border town of Ovruch in the Zhytomyr region on the occasion of the start of the construction of the first kindergarten within the Fast Recovery Plan. This is the first of 15 objects of general infrastructure that the Zhytomyr Regional State Administration submitted for consideration by the Estonian government for assistance in the reconstruction of the region.

"All the reconstruction - we understand that it is a large amount of money, a lot of work and a long time, and the main work will be held after the end of the war. But there is emergency help that is needed now, before the beginning of the school year, the educational process. This is the construction and restoration of schools and kindergartens, universities, as well as homes for forcibly displaced persons," Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine had received confirmation of participation in the implementation of the reconstruction plan from many states, but Estonia was the first to start implementing the project.

"I want to thank you for starting this process. This is the first occasion for us. We are grateful your country started this work. I am grateful to the government of Estonia and Estonians," Zelensky said.

He noted that this is not the only case when Estonia is the first to provide support to Ukraine. It was one of the first states to support Ukraine in the matter of providing weapons.

"This is the most important priority on the battlefield today. And this was especially tangible at the very beginning of the war, when the world was not yet united by its help. But there were several countries that helped from the first day," he said.

In addition, Zelensky stressed the importance for Ukraine of Estonia's consistent support for the sanctions policy against the aggressor country, as well as for the country's European integration course.