The Ukrainian city of Irpin, Kyiv region, and Miami, USA, will become sister cities.

This was announced by Oleksandr Markushyn, Mayor of Irpin.

“Deputies of the Irpin City Council gave their approval today at the session. Miami made a similar decision at the end of July. We are going to sign the Agreement on Twinning and Cooperation with the Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez,” said Oleksandr Markushyn.

In June of this year, the Mayor of Irpin emphasised the need for international support for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

“Irpin will be unable to cope with the challenges of reconstruction, unable to rebuild using only its budget funds. Before the war, our city was prosperous: one of the richest small cities in Ukraine. It was a very beautiful pro-European city. Today it is very painful to see 50% of our city in ruins,” he said.

In March, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine initiated the International Marathon of Local Governments aimed at drawing the attention of the municipalities around the world to the tragedy of Ukrainian municipalities and boosting the process of establishing sisterly relations.

In June 2022, the Twinning Pact was signed by the cities of Bucha and Bergamo (Italy).

In March 2022, the French municipality of Béziers and the city of Chortkiv established sisterly relations. In May, Chortkiv City Council and Talsi County Council (Latvia) announced their intention to sign a memorandum on twinning.

In addition, the state of Mississippi, US, recognised Khmelnytskyi as a sister region.

In early July, during the Solidarity Forum “Bridges of Trust between Ukraine and Slovenia: Partnerships that Inspire and Save Lives”, Viacheslav Nehoda, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territorial Development, stated that all Ukrainian municipalities need outside support. According to him, the Ministry for Communities and Territorial Development welcomes every step towards new sister relations between Ukrainian and foreign municipalities. He believes that the participants from both sides will benefit from these such relations because “Ukrainian municipalities have gained unprecedented experience in ensuring the day-to-day functioning of territories”.