“For Ukraine, it is very important that NATO and the United States boost their naval and air presence in the Black Sea region," -- Andriy Parubiy, VRU Chairman
Meeting with Laura K. Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy thanked the United States for the sustained support of Ukraine, especially after the Russian Federation’s last aggressive attack in the Sea of Azov.
“This naval attack upon Ukrainian ships was not only an act of aggression. It has been the mere longing to show the whole world that the Sea of Azov is the inland waters of the Russian Federation, where nobody can enter. This is actually another step towards the annexation of Ukrainian territory and international waters,” stated the Chairman.
The Speaker valued highly the standpoint of President Donald Trump who had cancelled a high-stakes meeting with Russian President V. Putin at the G-20 summit, demanding immediate return of the Ukrainian sailors and ships. Appreciation was also expressed for the statements made by the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
A.Parubiy stressed that it is very important for Ukraine that NATO and the US expand their naval and air presence in the Black Sea.
"And it is extremely important for us to return the Ukrainian sailors home, to their families and homeland," stressed the head of parliament. "We do reckon upon American support, which we feel day by day - and we hope that it will be even more decisive".
A.Parubiy greeted the US Congress’s decision to allocate USD 250 million for Ukraine’s security sector.
The Chairman clued up Laura Cooper about the measures
taken to modernize the security sector of Ukraine, including the recent mine
action and contiguous zone laws both aimed to reinforce Ukraine’s defenses.
The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada also expressed his hope for a swift consideration of draft bills on liberalization of defence trade.
In her turn, Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia once again assured support to Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.
The Verkhovna Rada Chairman assured that the martial law decision was also a response to the public that Ukraine was ready to defend itself.
"It was for the first time in Ukraine, that we declared defence emergency, and the measures taken are just preparations, so that in case of a full-scale attack we would be in full readiness," he explained.
Andriy Parubiy underlined that in order to remove all doubts about the presidential election, there had been legally fixed the election date for March 31, 2019 - as stipulated by Ukraine’s constitution. This move was also supported by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. "It was an important sign that we do not plan any restrictions on freedoms and principles of democracy,” stated the politician.
The
participants of the meeting also discussed possibilities of further cooperation
in the fields of cyber and information security, marine navigation and air
control.