Richard Branson meets with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky

Richard Branson met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday as he toured the war-torn country that has faced ramped-up attacks in recent days from invading Russian forces.

Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, wrote in a letter on his website that he spoke with Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kubela and a group of Ukraine business leaders while also visiting some of the sites Russians have attacked since war broke out in February.

“My main purpose in going to Kyiv was to meet and listen to Ukrainians, to understand their fears and concerns and also to learn what business, in partnership with civil society and governments, can do to support Ukraine most effectively,” he wrote.

Branson said he saw Zelensky near the end of his trip for a “personal meeting” that included members of the president’s cabinet.

“The contrast to our first conversation, just two days prior to the invasion, couldn’t be any greater,” Branson said. “In the eyes of the world and his own people, the President has emerged as a rare wartime leader who projects both unbreakable spirit and indefatigable determination to see this war through and repel the aggression.”

Branson first stopped in Poland before he headed to Kyiv where he spoke with business leaders and people on the street.

“Entering a country at war is a humbling and emotional experience. I remembered Kyiv very well from previous visits in 2014 and 2015. It’s a beautiful capital, with a stunning historic cityscape built along the banks of the majestic Dnieper,” he wrote. “But the scars of war are inescapable throughout this sprawling city, most notably in the burned-out shells of residential buildings hit by indiscriminate Russian airstrikes and missile attacks.”

One of the first sites he visited was a residential area that was hit by Russian missile strikes a few days prior. Ukraine capital city was bombed for the first time since early June.

“Looking at the ruins of a burned-out kindergarten, far away from any kind of target of strategic relevance, it is clear these kinds of attacks are not unintended and arbitrary,” he wrote. “They are part of a deliberate strategy to spread fear and terror among Ukraine’s civilian population. I hope the Russian perpetrators of these shocking acts will be held to account.”

Branson also stopped by Gostomel Airport, a short drive from the centre of Kyiv that was the scene of early fighting between Russian and Ukraine forces. There he saw the wreckage of the destroyed Antonov AN-225, the “world’s largest transport plane and the pride of Ukrainian aviation.”

He later had lunch with Kuleba, the foreign minister, and then met with Ukraine business leaders.

Source – https://nypost.com/