During his working visit to the United States, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met with Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to further support for Ukraine against the backdrop of a full-scale war.
Ruslan Stefanchuk informed the American side about the terrible consequences of russia's daily missile and drone attacks on critical infrastructure and the civilian population of Ukraine. Particular attention was paid to discussing the path to ending the war, its key parameters and possible modalities. According to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the parties have complete mutual understanding and support on this issue.
Consultations also continued on the role of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the US Congress in the peace process, in particular with regard to providing Ukraine with strong security guarantees.
During his visit, Ruslan Stefanchuk met with Lindsey Graham, Chairman of the US Senate Budget Committee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal. During the talks, attended by Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna and Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Mudra, they discussed effective tools that could change the course of the war, in particular tough sanctions against russia to force it to make peace.
The parties examined in detail the content of the sanctions packages, the mechanisms for their implementation and the time frame. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada also informed the US senators about russia's latest massive attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, stressing that this was deliberate terror against the civilian population.
They separately discussed the need to further strengthen Ukraine's air defence as a key element in protecting people and critical infrastructure.
Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked Senator Lindsey Graham for promoting the initiative to transfer Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and invited the senators to visit Ukraine again. He also stressed that support for Ukraine in the US Congress remains bipartisan, which makes it stable.
During the 20th Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast in Washington, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada drew attention to the fact that russia is using cold and darkness as weapons today. According to him, the destruction of energy infrastructure during extreme frosts is deliberate terror against civilians, not military tactics.
Ruslan Stefanchuk spoke about russia's systematic war crimes. He emphasised the direct historical parallel with the Holodomor: then and now, the method is the same — destruction through deprivation of basic living conditions.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada expressed his gratitude for the bipartisan support of Ukraine, for the assistance, weapons, and prayers, emphasising that solidarity and shared values remain the response to evil, which remains unchanged.