On January 24, 2024, the leadership and members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committees on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, National Security, Defense and Intelligence, and Ukraine's Integration into the European Union met with a delegation of the Norwegian Storting Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense headed by the Chairman of the Standing Committee Ine Eriksen Søreide during their visit to Ukraine.
During the meeting, the Ukrainian and Norwegian parliamentarians discussed topical issues of world and European politics, including the upcoming elections in the United States and russia, the current security and humanitarian situation in Ukraine, strengthening military and technical assistance to Ukraine, providing economic assistance and reconstruction of the affected regions of Ukraine, energy and cyber security, demining, countering russian propaganda, the release of imprisoned Ukrainian civilians and captured military personnel, as well as the possibility of returning Ukrainian children from russia and belarus.
The Ukrainian MPs expressed their gratitude and informed their foreign colleagues about the developments at the frontline and the results of aerial attacks on the territory of Ukraine, the humanitarian situation, namely, missing persons, imprisoned military and civilians, the need to strengthen the sanctions policy and the implementation of reforms in Ukraine, in particular, anti-corruption reforms.
Special attention during the meeting was paid to Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration on the eve of the NATO Washington Summit, as well as the prospects of Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
The Chairman of the Committee, Oleksandr Merezhko, expressed his gratitude to his Norwegian colleagues for their comprehensive support and emphasized the importance of supporting Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO and developing mechanisms for using the frozen assets of the russian federation to restore the Ukrainian economy.
The meeting was attended by members of the Ukrainian parliament from the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation – the Chairman of the Committee Oleksandr Merezhko, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee Arsenii Pushkarenko, the Chairperson of the Committee Subcommittee Mariia Ionova, members of the Committee Iryna Gerashchenko and Nataliia Loktionova, from the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence – the Deputy Chairman of the Committee Yehor Chernev, the Secretary of the Committee Roman Kostenko, the Chairman of the Subcommittee Oleksandr Fediienko and members of the Committee Solomiia Bobrovska and Iryna Friz, and from the Committee on EU Integration – the Chairperson of the Committee Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze and Chairman of the Subcommittee Dmytro Liubota.