Ruslan Stefanchuk discussed strengthening support for Ukraine with Lord Speaker of the House of Lords John McFall
As part of his working visit to London, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with Lord Speaker of the House of Lords of the Parliament of Great Britain John McFall.
The focus of the conversation was on strengthening support for Ukraine in the face of a new wave of russian terror. The parties discussed russia's massive strikes on civilian cities and the energy infrastructure of our state.
Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that these attacks are a deliberate crime against the civilian population, and the only response to them is to strengthen air defence systems, increase the means of countering drones and missiles, and protect the energy system ahead of winter. «That is why it is now extremely important for every EU country to allocate at least 0.25% of its GDP to military aid for Ukraine,» the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada stressed.
During the meeting, the parties also discussed deepening defence cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, in particular joint production projects and long-term support programmes.
Special attention was paid to the issue of returning illegally deported Ukrainian children and international coordination within the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his gratitude to the House of Lords and the entire British Parliament for their strong, cross-party and principled support for Ukraine.
«Together with our allies, we continue to strengthen Europe's defence shield,» said the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.