You're reading: Estonian president, Ukrainian deputy PM visit Donbas

Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has visited a dormitory for displaced persons in the town of Kramatorsk during a visit to Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where she also plans to learn about the work of a local humanitarian aid center.

Kaljulaid and Hennadiy Zubko, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister of regional development, construction, and housing and communal services, visited Kramatorsk’s dormitory for displaced persons on Thursday, the ministry’s press service said.

“The dormitory’s renovation was funded jointly by the local budget and the EU. The dormitory will accommodate 95 displaced persons: disabled people, elderly people, and children. Three dormitories are expected to be renovated as part of this project,” Zubko said.

During their trip to the Donetsk region, the official delegations of Ukraine and Estonia will look at ongoing restoration efforts in Ukraine’s Donbas, visit the humanitarian aid center, and give a joint press conference.

Kramatorsk earlier hosted a meeting between the Estonian president and the head of the Ukrainian Joint Forces, Lt. Gen. Serhiy Nayev, who informed Kaljulaid about the change of the format of Kyiv’s operation in Donbas from “Anti-Terrorist Operation” to “Joint Forces Operation.” Nayev also said that the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics have stepped up fighting and intensified their attacks on residential areas since the beginning of May.

Kaljulaid is the first foreign leader to visit the conflict area in Donbas.