“Ukraine greatly appreciates the support provided by Latvia at all levels – at the level of the parliament, government, non-governmental sector, business and the entire Latvian society,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk.
At the same time, he expressed gratitude for the military and technical support of Ukraine – the provision of weapons, ammunition and military goods, and training of Ukrainian military in Latvia.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine expressed gratitude for the new level of relations between Ukraine and Latvia in the security sphere, which was enshrined in the recently signed bilateral Agreement on Long-term Support and Security Commitments, in particular, the continuation of this support at the level of 0.25% of GDP annually until 2026.
Ruslan Stefanchuk also expressed his gratitude to Latvia and personally to the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa, for the initiative to host this year’s Crimean Platform Parliamentary Summit in Riga.
The parties also discussed Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration. “We are looking forward to hearing an important signal regarding Ukraine’s invitation to join the Alliance and the start of accession negotiations. This will be an important signal that will be heard by Ukrainian soldiers on the front line as well as in the kremlin,” the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine said. He expressed gratitude for Latvia’s consistent support of Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, as well as Latvia’s advocacy work among partners to promote our European integration. At the same time, Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasised Latvia’s strong support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration on the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
The parties also raised the issue of increasing sanctions pressure on russia in the context of the development of the 14th sanctions package. “Today, the common task is not to multiply sanctions, but to make it impossible to circumvent them,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, adding that sanctions remain one of the most effective means of limiting russia’s ability to continue the war.
The parties paid special attention to the issue of Ukrainian children abducted by russia. Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked Latvia for joining the International Coalition to facilitate the return of Ukrainian children deported or forcibly displaced by russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. For her part, Baiba Braže assured of her readiness to contribute to the restoration of justice and the return of young Ukrainian citizens to their homeland.
For her part, the Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk thanked Latvia for its assistance in the rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers and raised the issue of the severe humanitarian challenges posed by russian aggression.
“Together with our partners, we must fight for the release of more than 28,000 civilian hostages held in russian captivity in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Among them are journalists, priests and civil society activists. International publicity and the return of all children abducted by russia are also very important to us. We are grateful to Latvia for joining the International Coalition for the Return of Children and for its assistance in implementing the BringKidsBackUA initiative,” said the Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk.
In conclusion, Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his gratitude to Latvia for its support in the restoration of Ukraine and the implementation of reconstruction projects in Chernihiv region, as well as for providing the necessary equipment and products made in Latvia as part of this initiative.