King Carl XVI Gustaf visits Lviv
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, currently visiting Ukraine, was
given a brief tour of Lviv
by city Mayor Andriy Sadovyi on April 17.
In a Telegram post, the mayor noted that before the Russo–Ukrainian war, Lviv drew around 2.5 million tourists annually. The king, for his part, joked about the Ukrainian city being somewhat obscure for most Europeans.
“I googled your city before coming,” Carl XVI Gustaf joked.
During the visit, the king was shown around the city, including the Garrison Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, where daily memorials are held for fallen soldiers.
Speaking to reporters, Carl XVI Gustaf said Sweden and its citizens stand with Ukraine.
“It is hard to truly understand that people live in a large part of the country under terrible pressure,” he said.
“Of course, we also visited the military cemetery nearby, where several thousand recently killed are buried. It is very moving. They were all young people who were at war and fought for their country. I think there is strong support [for Ukraine] in Sweden. Most people know what is happening [here] and want to help and support the country in different ways.”
The king arrived in Ukraine April 17 with Swedish Foreign
Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard to demonstrate support for the country. In
Lviv, he and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored fallen soldiers buried at the
Field of Mars.
This was the monarch’s first visit to Ukraine since the 2022
invasion and his second overall. In 2008, he visited with Queen Silvia and met
members of the Swedish community in Kherson Oblast.
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