First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko held a working meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska, during which the parties discussed the peace process, security guarantees and strengthening Ukraine's defence cooperation with partners.
Yehor Cherniev, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, also joined the meeting.
During his speech, Oleksandr Korniienko emphasised the importance of intensifying the peace process and diplomatic dialogue with the United States. According to him, Ukraine has received a draft plan for ending the war from the American delegation and is currently working on it together with partners from Europe and around the world. The main priority is peace that respects the independence, sovereignty and dignity of the Ukrainian people, without legal recognition of the occupation, restrictions on the defence forces and Ukraine's right to choose future alliances.
At the same time, the First Deputy Speaker stressed that russia is not interested in peace and only seeks to prolong the war, so the support of the United States and its partners is critical to advancing the negotiations. «It is important that the issue of russia's responsibility remains in the peace process in order to avoid its impunity,» he said.
In addition, Oleksandr Korniienko noted that Ukraine seeks to obtain reliable security guarantees from Europe and the US, while strengthening its own defence capabilities. He also stressed that sanctions remain one of the most effective tools for limiting russia's ability to wage war, in particular by restricting oil export revenues and controlling logistics and the «shadow fleet.»
As for the joint production of drones, missiles and ammunition with partners, this format of cooperation, according to the First Deputy Speaker, reduces dependence on external supply chains and increases Europe's overall resilience. It was noted that the PURL initiative has significant potential for expansion, particularly in ensuring timely and sustainable supplies of defence products, training personnel, and integrating defence capabilities into the national defence system and joint programmes with partners in the long term.
Discussing russia's relentless shelling of civilian targets in Ukraine, Oleksandr Korniienko also noted our country's need for modern air defence systems, long-range missiles and high-precision ammunition that can stop enemy attacks.
“russia has thousands of guided missiles that threaten our entire country, including Kyiv. Therefore, training, support and political dialogue with allies are extremely important for strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities and ensuring its security," emphasised Oleksandr Korniienko, noting the active work of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation at the NATO PA and assuring his readiness to deepen cooperation with the Alliance, particularly at the interparliamentary level.
«We are here because NATO has stood, stands and will stand with Ukraine,’ said NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska during the meeting.
The First Deputy Speaker expressed his deep gratitude to NATO for its support of Ukraine and for its active cooperation at the level of parliaments, governments and member countries of the Alliance, which are providing assistance.