On the eve of the Summit of NATO Parliament Speakers, which will be held on 09 July this year in Washington, DC, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk took part in a briefing: "War, Democracy and Parliament: Ukraine 2024", organised by USAID.
Ruslan Stefanchuk began his remarks by informing the participants of the briefing about the inhuman crime committed by russia, which attacked the children's hospital in Kyiv with missiles.
The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed that everyone should draw firm conclusions from this terrible disaster: first, that russia continues its bloody, unjustified war against Ukraine. And second, Ukrainians have demonstrated solidarity to the whole world. "Hundreds of people became a human chain and cleared the rubble. And I would like this example to sound as loud as possible in the world today. And everyone who stands with Ukraine also passed this "brick" from hand to hand for Ukraine, for our struggle," he said.
"And just like the queue of vehicles with water for the victims near the children's hospital," said Ruslan Stefanchuk, "I would like to see similar queues of vehicles with aid for Ukraine on the border with our country.
Speaking about expectations from the anniversary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government, the Head of the Ukrainian Parliament said that our country expects clear political signals and decisions that will bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance.
"I think that the result of the NATO Summit must be the expansion of security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as the strengthening of our defence capabilities. As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said, we want this summit to be successful for both the Allies and Ukraine," Ruslan Stefanchuk said.
"These are fully justified expectations," said the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, "because since the first day of the war, the Ukrainian Parliament has been working as a single unit. Together with the Ukrainian people, parliamentarians are doing everything to ensure that the sole legislative body of the state fully performs its functions: to make decisions to provide the Armed Forces with everything necessary; to continue the reforms that are essential on Ukraine's path to NATO and the EU; to ensure that parliamentary control ensures transparency in the use of all the assistance we receive from our partners and friends.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed gratitude to the American people for their generous military, financial and humanitarian assistance, especially for the adoption of the package of assistance to Ukraine in April this year worth more than USD 60 billion. "This is crucial for our country. For us, it is a matter of withstanding of the Ukrainian nation," he stressed.
At the same time, Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that for effective defence, Ukraine must be able to attack the targets from which attacks on Ukraine and its civilians are launched. He emphasised that there is an urgent need to lift any restrictions on the use of the weapons that Ukraine receives. Stable and predictable supplies of weapons and ammunition for air defence systems are vital in order to effectively counter the threat from the sky: these include F-16 aircraft, training for our pilots, and the necessary equipment for these aircraft. "This is what I came here to say after the words 'thank you', the word 'please'. I ask you to help Ukraine withstand this war," said the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also dwelled on the need to strengthen sanctions against the russian federation: "I will be frank. Sometimes we joke with our colleagues that we do not want to wait for the next package of sanctions, like a new version of the iPhone. We don't need sanctions 14, 14 pro, 14 max pro. The entire civilised world needs sanctions that will make russia feel the economic shock of this war. And eventually make it stop this war."
In conclusion, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked the United States for its leadership in supporting Ukraine's aspirations for a sustainable and just peace.
"We do not need peace at any cost. Because peace in exchange for territories is not peace, it is annexation. Peace in exchange for our people is not peace, it is slavery. Peace in exchange for Ukraine's sovereignty is not peace, it is complete submission to the interests of russia. We need a clear, understandable peace based on the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Because it is a just peace and a sustainable peace. That is why I will be very grateful for the dissemination of these ideas of consolidation around the results of the global peace summit and the peace formula of our President and the expansion of the signatories to the communiqué," said Ruslan Stefanchuk.