First of all, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine expressed his gratitude for the practical assistance to Ukraine and Bulgaria's joining the initiatives to support our country. He also noted that since the last meeting, the work of the friendship groups between the parliaments of Ukraine and Bulgaria has intensified.
Ruslan Stefanchuk personally thanked the Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov, for joining the open letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, regarding the introduction of the U.S. International Assistance Bill passed by the U.S. Senate on 13 February 2024, which provides for an appropriation of $60.06 billion to assist Ukraine.
The parties paid special attention to the defence sector. Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasised that Ukraine's victory can only be accelerated if it receives continuous and timely supplies of weapons, including artillery, ammunition, air defence systems and the necessary equipment.
At the same time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that Ukraine needs help in treating wounded Ukrainian servicemen.
The meeting also focused on Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration. “Ukraine has fulfilled all four legislative steps, which is a prerequisite for starting negotiations on joining the European Union,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament also stressed that Ukraine is counting on strong decisions at the NATO Washington Summit on Ukraine's progress towards membership in the Alliance.
“Ukraine highly appreciates Bulgaria's participation in the implementation of the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and its co-leadership in certain points, in particular, economic, food and energy security and the restoration of justice,” the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine said.
Finally, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that Ukraine needs effective security guarantees: “We are ready to start consultations on the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement with Bulgaria.”