The parties discussed a number of important issues, including military assistance to Ukraine, Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as the implementation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s Peace Formula and the restoration of Ukraine.
First of all, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine congratulated his colleague on his election as the President of the Senate of Spain. He also thanked Spain for its firm and consistent support of Ukraine since the first days of russia’s full-scale invasion and for the decision to provide Ukraine with a new military assistance package.
The parties also discussed Ukraine’s European integration. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine informed about the status of implementation of the seven recommendations of the European Commission, taking into account the further steps identified in the interim assessment. Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that Ukraine relies on Spain’s proactivity to ensure the unity of the EU member states around the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession this year.
“Ukraine is counting on the final positive recommendation of the European Commission in November as part of the 2023 Enlargement Package and the decision of the European Council in December to launch accession negotiations,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
“The NATO Summit in Vilnius clearly confirmed that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is only a matter of time,” said the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, stressing that the joint declaration signed by the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Spain on the eve of the Vilnius Summit is a powerful signal of support for Ukraine’s path to NATO. He also expressed hope for Spain’s active involvement in building consensus on Ukraine’s invitation to join the Alliance at the NATO Summit in Washington.
At the same time, the meeting focused on the implementation of the President Zelenskyi’s Peace Formula and the issue of rebuilding Ukraine. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed hope that the Government of Spain would take patronage of certain projects, regions or cities in the reconstruction process.
Finally, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine called on the Senate of Spain to recognise the Holodomor of 1932-33 as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people. This decision is important for restoring historical justice to the victims of one of the largest crimes in history.