«Our European colleagues are interested not only in helping, but also in learning from the experience of Ukrainian officials,» said First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko
07 July 2026, 18:23
First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko paid a working visit to Austria.
During the visit, the First Deputy Speaker met with Vasyl Khymynets, Ukraine’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Austria.
The parties discussed support for Ukrainians abroad, as well as next steps toward achieving a just peace in Ukraine, strengthening European solidarity, and deepening cooperation.
Oleksandr Korniienko thanked the Ukrainian Embassy in Austria for its work in promoting Ukrainian issues at the international level and for its assistance in organizing meetings during the visit. According to him, Austria remains a reliable partner of Ukraine in the humanitarian sphere.
«We are keeping Ukrainian issues in the international spotlight, because the fight for our freedom continues every day—we are defending not only our own borders but also European security. The embassy is working to ensure that Ukraine’s voice in Austria is heard with confidence and that the rights of our people are reliably protected,» said Oleksandr Korniienko.
During the visit, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of meetings with European politicians and parliamentarians. The delegation included Members of Parliament Yevheniia Kravchuk, Oleksandr Sanchenko, Tetiana Skrypka, Vadym Halaychuk, Olena Vintonak, and Oleksii Ustenko, as well as the heads of regional councils in frontline regions and other representatives of local government bodies.
According to the First Deputy Speaker, the presence of local government representatives allowed the delegation to engage in direct dialogue with partners about the challenges posed by the war on the ground and the needs required to ensure the resilience of our cities.
In particular, the parties discussed continued international support for Ukraine, strengthening inter-party cooperation, and preparations for an upcoming visit by a European delegation to Kyiv with Valérie Hayer, Chair of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament.
During a conversation with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, they discussed countering russian disinformation, strengthening cybersecurity, issues of energy resilience in communities, and the development of alternative energy sources.
Oleksandr Korniienko emphasized the need to attract investment for the development of alternative energy sources and to address the issue of energy supply in small towns that lack centralized heating and natural gas.
Separate meetings were held with European parliamentarians from Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
During the meetings, the parties discussed Ukraine’s European integration, continued political, financial, and defense support for Ukraine, the development of interregional cooperation, the strengthening of local self-government, support for communities near the front lines, infrastructure reconstruction, and the implementation of joint projects.
During the meeting with British parliamentarians from the “Lib Dems,” significant attention was paid to the issue of supporting veterans, and ideas were discussed regarding the creation of assistance centers and the organization of support programs.
«We highlighted the importance of the 100-year partnership agreement that was signed. Our European colleagues are interested not only in providing assistance but also in learning from the experience of Ukrainian officials, who know how to solve complex problems in wartime,» emphasized Oleksandr Korniienko.