Ruslan Stefanchuk: The greatness of a country is determined by the greatness of the people who live in it

Informatiion Department
Published on 22 June 2022, at 10:19

The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, met with the Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament thanked the delegation of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for coming to Ukraine during the full-scale war and for military, financial, and humanitarian assistance.

"The intentions of Ukrainians are absolutely clear. 82% of Ukrainians are not ready to exchange their territory for any other concessions related to peace. Victory in this war is vital for us. Because the victory of Ukraine will mean the victory of the entire civilized world, " said the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, adding that the victory consists of several main stages where the support of the Duchy of Luxembourg plays an important role.

First of all, according to Ruslan Stefanchuk, this is a question of sanctions policy against russia, which needs to be continued and strengthened; issues related to the European integration perspective of Ukraine, receiving compensation from the russian federation, as well as further reconstruction of Ukraine.

"The axiom of justice is absolutely clear – russia must pay for this war. And today it is crucial for us together with our European colleagues to find the right legislative mechanism, how to clearly and fairly establish the policy of compensation, confiscation of property of the russian federation at the expense of damage to Ukraine," said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

In addition, he stressed that the voice of each country of the European Union, regardless of its size, is significant in helping our country's European integration path.

"The size of a country never means its greatness. The greatness of a country is determined by the greatness of the people who live in it. And we have a lot in common, and the main thing is our common future, "Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed.

For his part, the Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, expressed his sincere admiration for the Ukrainian people, their courage, and patience.

"Mr. Chairman, you should be proud of your people. We should be proud of these people. In the first days of the war, everyone said that: in a few days, Ukraine would be conquered. But they did not count on Ukrainians," said the Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

He supported the desire of the Ukrainian people to preserve its territorial integrity and called on all institutions of the country to do everything necessary to "support and maintain this unity of the Ukrainian people."

Xavier Bettel also assured his Ukrainian counterparts of supporting and continuing sanctions against the aggressor country. In this issue, in his opinion, Ukraine's contacts with countries in Europe, Asia, and, especially, Africa, where "the weight of russian oil is so great that the currency will continue to work," are also important. This is necessary to debunk russia's false narratives about russia's dominance in the world on this continent as well.

The Prime Minister supported Ukraine's desire to compensate for losses and reparations, emphasizing that russia "should be convicted in criminal proceedings for crimes committed that cannot be ignored." But this will take time and patience for Ukraine so that the process takes place exclusively in the legal field in compliance with all norms of international law.

Finally, he expressed hope for the right decision of European countries to support Ukraine and give it candidate status.

"The main expectation of Ukrainians is that they want to feel the world's admiration so that the whole world is by their side. Justice in the world must be restored," said Xavier Bettel, Speaking at the end of the meeting.