The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Italy to Ukraine Pier Francesco Zazo
First of all, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk congratulated Italy on its Presidency of the Group of Seven. He emphasized that he appreciates that the issues of defense and reconstruction of Ukraine are among the priorities of the Italian presidency.
During the meeting, the parties discussed further cooperation at various levels between the Group of Seven countries and Ukraine, and paid much attention to the continuation of reforms in Ukraine.
In addition, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted the role of the Group of Seven in promoting the Ukrainian Peace Formula. “Further support of the G7 will play a major role in the implementation of our peace plan,” he said, adding that one of the important issues of supporting the Peace Formula during the Italian presidency could be the issue of transferring frozen russian assets to Ukraine.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked Italy for its principled and comprehensive support of Ukraine, especially in the issue of continuing to provide military and technical assistance to Ukraine until the end of 2024 and approving the long-awaited eighth package of military and technical assistance.
The parties also discussed important aspects of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked Italy for supporting Ukraine in these important issues. “The Ukrainian Parliament has made a lot of efforts to ensure that the most difficult reforms were voted for within the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which would allow Ukraine to open negotiations with the European Union today,” he emphasized.
In conclusion, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed hope for Italy's active participation in building consensus on the decision in Washington on the 75th anniversary of NATO to accept Ukraine's application for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.