Zelensky said that this is "a very important signal of supporting Ukraine. It's really important."
"We need your professional help," he told Thunberg and the rest of those assembled.
The Swiss activist joined other European figures in the meeting who are "forming a working group to address ecological damage" from the Russian invasion and subsequent war in Ukraine.
Ukraine has been at war with Russia since February 2022, when Russia invaded its neighbor. Shortly thereafter, the US began pouring money and weapons into the country in an attempt to help them win the war. That war is still ongoing.
The working group to assess the ecological damage includes former Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Margot Wallström, European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala, and former Irish President Mary Robinson, the LA Times reports.
For Thunberg, the war is realy a big environmental problem. Russian forces, she said "are deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihoods and homes. And therefore also destroying lives. Because this is after all a matter of people."
The plan is for the group to assess the environmental fallout from the ongoing war as well as to hold Russia accountable for the destruction on the environment wrought by their invasion.
Additionally, the group will work to restore the ecology of Ukraine. It's unclear if that rebuilding will happen prior to the end of the war, or sometime after it ends, which of course is an entirely unknown factor.
This meeting comes as former Vice President and GOP 2024 presidential candidate Mike Pence attended Zelensky in Ukraine to express his support for the war effort.
