«We must increase pressure on russia to return all deported children,» Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk met with Speaker of the Senate of Canada
Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk met with Speaker of the Senate of Canada Raymonde Gaillard.
The parties emphasised the shamefulness of the presence of the russian delegation, led by Matviyenko, speaker of the federation council of the russian federation, which was granted a platform at the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva.
‘This shows that we need not only to strengthen sanctions against russia, but also to strengthen sanctions discipline,’ Olena Kondratiuk noted.
She thanked Canada for its support and solidarity during the Speakers' Summit in Geneva and for its assistance to Ukraine from the first day of the russian invasion in 2014. In particular, thanks to Canada's assistance and the joint efforts of our parliaments within the PASS Ukraine programme, significant results have been achieved in strengthening parliamentary oversight of the security and defence sector and in supporting democratic governance.
Ukraine, as noted by the Deputy Speaker, counts on further military support from Canada. 4.5 billion Canadian dollars have already been announced, including a 5-year long-term military assistance package worth 1.6 billion Canadian dollars.
«We expect the Canadian Parliament to vote for new military aid packages of at least a similar size in the federal budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal years. We also urgently need air defence systems to protect the civilian population,» Olena Kondratiuk stressed.
She also noted the unanimous adoption by the House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament of a resolution expressing full support for Ukraine's future membership in NATO.
Separately, the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada thanked Canada for co-chairing the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and for adopting a parliamentary resolution condemning russia's deportation of children.
«We must return all Ukrainian children. We must increase pressure and demand that russia do so outside the negotiation process. After all, children are not prisoners of war,» Olena Kondratiuk emphasised.
The Deputy Speaker also invited Raymond Gaillard to visit Ukraine and participate in this year's Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform in Stockholm.