The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Vice-Speaker Olena Kondratiuk met with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia Andris Sprūds and the delegation led by him to Kyiv
First of all, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasised the high level of cooperation between Ukraine and Latvia, especially the inter-parliamentary cooperation.
“The partnership with Latvia is one of the most important,” said the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, expressing gratitude for the comprehensive support of Ukraine: “Special words of gratitude for all the military and technical support provided, as well as for the involvement in the Czech initiative ‘800 thousand shells for Ukraine’ and the ‘drone coalition’”.
During the meeting, the parties focused on military support and the immediate needs of the Security and Defence Forces. They also touched upon the issue of rebuilding Ukraine.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked Latvia for its effective participation in Ukraine's recovery, in the implementation of reconstruction projects in Chernihiv region, and for its readiness to continue this work.
The meeting also touched upon the topic of Euro-Atlantic integration. “Ukraine highly appreciates Latvia's consistent support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration at all levels — the Saeima, the Government, the President, and society. For us, NATO membership is the only goal we have,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
Finally, the parties discussed the issue of Latvia's acceptance of Ukrainian servicemen for treatment and rehabilitation.
“I am sincerely grateful to Mr Minister and the Ministry of Defence of Latvia for taking care of the wounded Ukrainian soldiers and accepting them for rehabilitation. Thanks to these efforts and the assistance of Latvia, approximately 500 of our soldiers have already undergone a full course of rehabilitation and prosthetics at the Vaivari National Rehabilitation Centre,” said Olena Kondratiuk, the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. She also stressed that Ukraine greatly appreciates Latvia's contribution to the training of Ukrainian soldiers in accordance with NATO standards.
“We thank Latvia for its persistent advocacy of Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance,” stressed Olena Kondratiuk, expressing her belief that only NATO membership is the best guarantee of Ukraine's security.