The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko held a working meeting with the President of the Alliance of Liberal Parties of Europe ALDE Timmy Dooley and a member of the European Parliament’s Renew Europe group Billy Kelleher.
“We are pleased to welcome MEPs to the capital of resilience – here in Ukraine, in Kyiv. We continue our cooperation with the European Union and its representatives,” the First Vice Speaker emphasized.
Oleksandr Korniienko noted that the Ukrainian side believes that the international community must respond urgently and decisively to russian terrorism and crimes committed against Ukraine.
“We hope to accelerate the comprehensive international isolation of russia, rapid implementation and strict enforcement of all sanctions and a significant increase in political, economic, financial, military-technical and humanitarian support for Ukraine,” he said.
In addition, the First Vice Speaker noted that Ukraine, like no other, is interested in establishing peace and ending the unprovoked and destructive war started by russia: “For peace to be truly sustainable, it must be based on clear criteria, in particular, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders and the prevention of further escalation, which is possible only if the kremlin’s war machine is destroyed.”
Oleksandr Korniienko emphasized that it was for this purpose that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi proposed the “Peace Formula”, which is not only aimed at establishing peace in Ukraine but also has a global dimension, namely restoring respect for the UN Charter and the world order.”
At the same time, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine emphasized that Ukraine expects the European Union, given its role and potential in the modern world, to become a permanent participant in the implementation of all ten points and to assist the leading states and other participants in the relevant points in their progress in this direction.
During the meeting, Oleksandr Korniienko also welcomed the adoption of the European Parliament’s resolution supporting the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine: “It is important to reach an agreement as soon as possible on a mutually acceptable mechanism for prosecuting the crime of aggression of the russian federation in Ukraine.”
“The President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Government of Ukraine are united around the promotion of European integration reforms in the country and are determined to move towards EU membership despite the war, as quickly as possible,” the First Vice Speaker emphasized, adding that Ukraine is preparing to present the results of implementing all seven recommendations of the European Commission at the EU-Ukraine Summit and expects a positive assessment of the efforts by the EU side.
In conclusion, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked the European Union as a whole and each EU country for the support already provided to Ukraine.
At the same time, he emphasized that it is necessary to make this support more systematic: “We need a financial coordination platform that will unite efforts aimed at restoring our country after the fighting. We need consolidation. We have developed a transparent plan of priority steps in reconstruction – this is what Ukraine literally needs to survive.”
For reference. The meeting was also attended by members of the Ukrainian Parliament: the Head of the Permanent Parliamentary Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mariia Mezentseva, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Olha Rudenko, the First Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration with the European Union Vadym Halaichuk.