The Ukrainian parliament wants to open its own office in the European Parliament in Brussels in the near future. This will give the Verkhovna Rada a permanent presence within the European assembly, similar to the office the European Parliament previously established in Kyiv. According to Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, this should further strengthen cooperation between the two parliaments.
Stefanchuk presented the plans during the annual meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors. He emphasized that parliamentary cooperation with Europe continues to play an important role.
Membership
One of the main goals remains to accelerate negotiations on Ukraine’s European Union membership. According to Stefanchuk, the parliaments in the EU countries must be more closely involved in that process, as they ultimately play a decisive role in ratifying any accession.
Promotion
In addition, Ukraine wants to further expand cooperation with the Nordic and Baltic countries. Visits to Reykjavik and Helsinki aim to strengthen parliamentary contacts with these nations. Parliamentary cooperation within the G7 also remains an important part of Ukraine’s international strategy.
Stefanchuk also called on ambassadors to actively promote broad international participation in the interparliamentary forum of the Crimea Platform, which will be held later this year in London.
Neighboring Countries
Kyiv also wants to revive parliamentary contacts with Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Additionally, the parliament should continue to play a stabilizing role in cooperation with neighboring Poland, while explicitly addressing the interests of Ukrainian citizens temporarily residing in Poland (seasonal agricultural workers in Polish farming).
Air Defense
President Zelenskyy made clear during the same meeting that he demands higher standards of the diplomatic service. He wants ambassadors’ performance to be explicitly evaluated based on their contribution to securing military deliveries and financial support. According to the president, diplomats must know exactly where additional weapons systems and air defense assets are available and actively help to secure them.
Appointments
At the same time, Zelenskyy continues his reorganization of the security leadership. Rustem Umerov has been appointed head of the foreign intelligence service. His previous role as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council is now taken over by Ihor Klymenko.
According to the president, these and other personnel changes are part of a broader strengthening of Ukraine’s security and war organization. Several position changes also occurred within the diplomatic leadership during the meeting.