Ruslan Stefanchuk: Europeans must clearly understand one truth: today, the war is not far away; the war today is in Europe

Informatiion Department
Published on 09 June 2022, at 19:10

The work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during the war, intensification of inter-parliamentary ties, Ukraine’s path to European integration, and conditions for negotiations were the main topics of conversation during the interview of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk to the “Parliamentary Bulletin."

"Since February 24, the first day of the war, the Ukrainian Parliament has been working stably, in the city of Kyiv, in the building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. We have already held more than 12 sittings of the Parliament, where more than 160 laws have been adopted, ”the Speaker of the Parliament said.

According to him, on the same day, a decision was made on the division of powers between the leadership in case of threat to life to preserve the legitimacy of the legislature body, the place and procedure of meetings and decided not to close it so that it could continue at any time.

The People's Deputies were unanimous in their decision to set aside political differences so that the Parliament would work for Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine.

Ruslan Stefanchuk also noted that more than five deputies of Ukraine joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The rest work very hard on the volunteer front, coordinate humanitarian aid going to Ukraine, and help our refugees outside Ukraine.

During the war, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada said, inter-parliamentary activities intensified, "primarily due to the increased interest in Ukraine as a state and in the Ukrainian people."

"Almost every day, I have intensive talks with all the speakers of parliaments worldwide. I invite them to visit Ukraine. Today, almost 20 speakers have already arrived in Ukraine. They traveled and saw with their own eyes what is happening in our country after the enemy left such cities as Irpin, Borodyanka, and others," Ruslan Stefanchuk said, adding: "I want all Europeans to understand one truth today clearly: we must open our eyes - the war today is not far away, the war today - in Europe.”

Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that "for the first time in a hundred days of the war as the Speaker of Parliament, he left Ukraine with a specific mission – to gain support on Ukraine’s path to EU candidate status." During meetings with the European political establishment, it was stressed that "Ukraine and the Ukrainian armed forces today, at the cost of the lives of Ukraine's best sons and daughters, are deterring the russian federation from moving forward, delaying time but not results."

He is grateful to those who support Ukraine's European integration and invite skeptics to think about "what will happen if Ukraine does not receive candidate status." The speaker stressed that "we are at a bifurcation point," after which either Ukrainians will receive the impetus for such a decision in their favor or putin will receive such an impetus.

Regarding the possibility of negotiations with the aggressor country, Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that there are certain "red lines": territorial integrity, Donbas, and Crimea. However, he said, there is always room for negotiations, but "we must all understand that with each Bucha, Irpin, and Mariupol, the corridor of negotiations is getting narrower and narrower."

Commenting on the role of Europe in this process, Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed: "France has a unique historical role. It is under France's presidency of the Council of the EU that a historic decision can be made to bring peace to the world. This decision sounds very simple: Ukraine is a candidate for accession to the European Union."