“For Our Freedom and Yours”: Ruslan Stefanchuk Awards Badges of Honor to Speakers of NB8 Parliaments
28 August 2026, 10:45
On the sidelines of the Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk presented high state and parliamentary awards to his foreign counterparts.
Specifically, Ruslan Stefanchuk presented the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Badges of Honor “For Our Freedom and Yours” to:
Søren Gade — Speaker of the Folketing of the Kingdom of Denmark
Lauri Hussar — Speaker of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia
Daiga Mieriņa — Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
Juozas Olekas — Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Masud Gharahkhani — President of the Storting of the Kingdom of Norway
Jussi Halla-aho — Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland
Andreas Norlén — Speaker of the Riksdag of the Kingdom of Sweden.
The Badge of Honor “For Our Freedom and Yours” is awarded to foreign citizens and stateless persons for significant personal contributions to defending Ukrainian statehood, state sovereignty, and territorial integrity, protecting national interests, and advancing civil society in Ukraine.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada awarded Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, Speaker of the Althing (Parliament) of Iceland, and Birgir Ármannsson, former Speaker of the Parliament of Iceland, with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd Class.
He also presented a Letter of Commendation from the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to Jörundur Kristjánsson, Director General for Communications and International Affairs of the Althing of Iceland.
Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked his foreign counterparts for their comprehensive support of Ukraine, emphasizing: “Our cooperation is mutual. Ukraine is ready to share its unique combat experience and technological solutions, which can strengthen the defense of the Baltic and Nordic nations against the russian threat. Our strategic course remains unchanged—full membership in the European Union and NATO.”
