The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine met with the President of the Slovak Republic
Today, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Caputova, who is on a visit to Ukraine.
Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasised the important and valuable role of Slovakia in helping Ukraine and thanked for the consistent and targeted support we receive “not only at the level of the country’s leadership, but also at the level of every Slovak who helps and supports Ukraine”.
According to the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, this support is evidenced by Slovakia’s concrete actions, particularly in the military sphere, which is important for our country today. Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked Slovakia for the 13 MIG-29 aircraft and air defence equipment that have been donated to Ukraine, which “are already saving Ukrainian lives today”.
The parties also discussed Ukraine’s European integration and Euro-Atlantic path. The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament thanked Slovakia for supporting the vote in favour of granting Ukraine the EU candidate status and called for the same support for Ukraine’s aspirations to start negotiations on full membership this year.
“Another very important area is our progress towards NATO. The Vilnius summit is ahead, where Ukraine expects to define a clear timeframe for Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance,” Ruslan Stefanchuk said.
During the meeting, the parties discussed President Zelenskyi’s peace formula, the implementation of which, according to the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, is “the only way to end this war”, and Slovakia’s involvement in promoting this peace initiative; the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate the crime of russian aggression against Ukraine and restore historical justice, in particular, the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-33 as genocide of the Ukrainian people by the National Council of the Slovak Republic.
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament also stressed the importance of sanctions pressure against russia, thanking Slovakia for supporting all the packages of restrictions already imposed and highlighting the key priorities of future sanctions, in particular, strengthening control over the already adopted sanctions, combating their circumvention, imposing restrictions on russia’s nuclear and propaganda potential.
In conclusion, Ruslan Stefanchuk reiterated that “Ukraine will definitely win!” with friends like Slovakia.
The President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Caputova, assured the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament that Slovakia’s support for Ukraine is unequivocal.
“This support is our duty. This is support for not only Ukrainian values. The whole world is watching how steadfastly Ukraine fights and resists the aggressor. And we will help as much as we can,” said Zuzana Caputova, reminding that Slovakia is the fifth country in the world to provide such a large amount of assistance, in accordance with its own GDP and population.
She also expressed support for Ukraine’s progress towards the EU and NATO, strengthening of sanctions and implementation of the peace formula of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, where Slovakia is ready to take on the patronage of nuclear safety.
Separately, the Slovak President stressed that the Republic also supports the establishment of a special tribunal to punish those responsible for russia’s crimes committed in Ukraine, in particular, the deportation of children, on which the National Council of the Slovak Republic recently adopted a resolution condemning this crime by russia and calling on the aggressor country to immediately stop the illegal deportation and return all Ukrainian children and citizens to their homeland.
“I would like to emphasise that we are doing much more even when we do not disclose the amount and possibilities of our assistance. And once again, I want to emphasise that the position of the Slovak Republic is absolutely clear – it is a position of assistance and support for sanctions,” Zuzana Caputova said.