> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Salvador Illa begins 48-hour trip to Ukraine - URL: https://barna.news/salvador-illa-begins-48-hour-trip-to/ - Published: 2026-09-02T09:45:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-02T09:45:34.000Z - Description: Catalan President Salvador Illa arrives in Kyiv amid ongoing Russian attacks to strengthen institutional ties and discuss reconstruction efforts. - Author: Laia Serra - Tags: politics Catalan President Salvador Illa has begun a 48-hour official visit to Ukraine, arriving in Kyiv as the city endures sustained Russian missile and drone strikes. At least 12 people were killed in and around the capital overnight, including railway workers at a depot hit during the attacks, according to Ukrainian officials and international media reports. Illa is the first regional president from Europe to make an official trip to war-affected Ukraine. His agenda includes political, social, and economic discussions focused on humanitarian aid and long-term reconstruction, though there are no plans for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, sources from the Generalitat confirm. The delegation, kept to a minimum for security reasons, is operating under coordination with the Spanish embassy in Kyiv. The Catalan government stated that the trip aims to reinforce institutional contacts and promote "a culture of peace and a message of hope" amid ongoing conflict. --- ## Refugee support and humanitarian links Catalonia has hosted around 21,000 Ukrainian refugees since the war began in February 2022, according to Mireia Mata, Catalonia’s secretary of equality. Around 36,000 Ukrainians initially obtained temporary protection status in Catalonia, many through reception centres set up at the Fira de Barcelona. The refugee population in Catalonia is primarily composed of women with higher education and children, reflecting national conscription policies in Ukraine that restrict male citizens aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Last summer, Illa met with 250 Ukrainian children who participated in the 'Holidays for Peace' programme, organised by Sister Lucía Caram, a nun with longstanding humanitarian work in Ukraine. --- ## Coordination with Barcelona mayor Illa will coincide in Kyiv with Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, who began his own Eastern Europe tour earlier this week with stops in Sarajevo and Warsaw. While Illa is the first Catalan regional president to visit Ukraine during the war, Collboni will be the second mayor of Barcelona to do so, Ada Colau visited in 2022 shortly after the invasion began. > The objective is to establish institutional contacts, thinking about the future reconstruction of Ukraine. The trip follows Illa’s previous international engagements, including a visit to Japan and South Korea in 2024 to strengthen trade and technological partnerships, as reported by Catalan News. --- *Reported by en.ara.cat, elnacional.cat, bbc.com, catalannews.com, theguardian.com, Diari ARA.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [Catalonia financing reform meeting set for 4 September](https://barna.news/catalonia-financing-reform-meeting-set/) - [Catalan Government to Co-Manage Rodalies from 2026](https://barna.news/catalan-government-to-co-manage/) - [Barcelona strengthens ties with consular corps](https://barna.news/barcelona-strengthens-ties-with/) - [Barcelona police coordination pact remains unsigned](https://barna.news/barcelona-police-coordination-pact-remains-unsigned/)