“The European Parliament was the first institution in the EU to advocate for granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate, actively supported the opening of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, and always had a strong voice when it came to creating an international coalition to support our struggle,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, expressing gratitude for the European Parliament's unwavering support for Ukraine.
Ruslan Stefanchuk also thanked the MEPs for condemning the holding of the russian presidential “elections” in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
During the meeting, the parties primarily discussed issues of European integration. The Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine noted that Ukraine has completed the necessary steps to start negotiations on accession to the European Union: “Ukraine is doing a lot to become a full member of the European Union as soon as possible – now it is important to approve the negotiation framework without delay.”
The interlocutors also discussed defence support. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed gratitude to each EU country for the military assistance provided. He stressed that Ukraine's needs remain for air defence systems, long-range missiles, various types of artillery and ammunition, and drones.
Finally, the parties touched upon the topic of confiscation of russian assets. “It is important to find a legal structure that would give a common vision of how russian assets should be used to compensate for the damage caused by the aggressor country,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.