The Chairman of
the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk held a videoconference
conversation with the President of the Bundestag Barbel Bas.
The main issue of
the conversation was the Euro-Atlantic future of Ukraine, which is especially
relevant on the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
In particular,
Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that Ukraine counts on Germany's support in this
matter.
"Ukraine's
accession to NATO is the only effective guarantee of security. Not only for
Ukraine, but also for Europe. We are just days away from the NATO Summit in
Vilnius. And it is the Vilnius Summit that should be used to form a common
vision of the Alliance's modalities and a clearly defined timeframe for
Ukraine's accession to NATO," the Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine
emphasized in the conversation.
In addition, the
speakers discussed an equally important issue — the supply of weapons to
Ukraine, in particular, air defense systems. Ruslan Stefanchuk called on
Germany to provide Ukraine with even more of these systems, which are vital for
protecting Ukrainian cities from russian terror.
The parties also touched upon the issue of Ukraine's European integration.
The Chairman of
the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that he appreciated the conclusion of the
European Commission's interim report on Ukraine's significant progress in
reforms carried out in the difficult conditions of war, as well as the identification
of specific areas for Ukraine's further efforts to become an EU member.
"I hope that the political unity of the EU member states will allow us to make an important positive decision to start negotiations with Ukraine on the EU membership by the end of 2023," Ruslan Stefanchuk concluded the conversation.