Premier moved during meeting with Ukrainian refugees as he ends overseas trade mission

Premier Scott Moe says he learned "a lot" after spending time meeting with Ukrainian refugees in Germany on Thursday.

He says those he spoke with were "very grateful" for the support they have received from Poland, Germany and Canada.

"The second thing I think that really resonated with me was their determination and their resilience," Saskatchewan's premier said from Germany.

Moe travelled to London, England, and Frankfurt, Germany over the last six days for a trade mission. He was accompanied by members of the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP), government officials and Saskatchewan business leaders.

I heard this today: 'My body is here but my heart is home in Ukraine.' They want to be at home. Nobody knows how long this conflict is going to last. Nobody knows if they will be able to go back."- Premier Scott Moe

He ended his trip in Kassel, Germany with a stop to see refugees who had fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

Kassel is about 180 kilometres northeast of Frankfurt, and about 1,700 from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which many of the refugees had fled.

"I was ever so appreciative to spend some time with all of them, and to be able to share their stories of what they've been through, and to pass on our prayers from Canada and our support from Canadians," Moe said.

Moe said the refugees were staying in a retrofitted office building that was empty at the moment because the workers who would normally be there are working remotely due to the pandemic.

He says between 80 and 90 families were staying there, and almost all were women and children.

"I heard this today: 'My body is here but my heart is home in Ukraine.' They want to be at home. Nobody knows how long this conflict is going to last. Nobody knows if they will be able to go back."

Moe says the federal government is working hard on the refugee file with provincial support. He says that support could include sending officials to Europe to help process visas.

"These Ukrainian families need our support and the world's support," he said. "We are looking at, first, how do we support the federal government in creating those pathways for them to get to Canada? Second, is there something else that we can do to actually support those that have found their way into areas like Berlin, like Kassel, where we visited today?"

Moe says he spoke with a few families who fled Kyiv, Chornobyl and Kharkiv, each expressing a desire to return home.

He detailed a story told to him by a woman who lived near a power plant in Kyiv.

"They did hear a rocket that was coming heading for that power plant," he said. "It was a Russian rocket. It was shot down by the Ukrainian forces, and the shrapnel came down and hit a home about 300 metres from her home."

Moe says the woman fled the city shortly after with her daughter and grandchildren.

As for the business end of the trip, Moe says meetings in London and Germany had "great engagement," and that his government had developed "action items" to promote Saskatchewan industries and products to the European Union.

He says the province will be providing direct comparisons as to "why people should be purchasing their products from a place like Saskatchewan," mentioning resources such as potash and uranium, and crops including canola oil, peas and lentils.

His pitch? "We are a stable, trustworthy, long-term supplier and provider, and we want that long-term trade relationship."

The trip was scheduled before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.