The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with Chairman of SPD in the Bundestag Rolf Mutzenich and SPD co-chairman Lars Klingbeil
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in the Bundestag Rolf Mutzenich and SPD co-chairman Lars Klingbeil.
Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his sincere gratitude to his German colleagues for the visit, which, in his words, was not only a visit of solidarity with Ukraine, but above all of political and human courage.
“I am pleased that the position of the Social Democratic Party of Germany is getting closer to that of Ukraine. I would also like to thank all Germans, the great German people, for their sincerity towards Ukrainians. Today, more than one million of our citizens are in Germany, and I sincerely thank them for such hospitality,” the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament said.
During the meeting, the parties discussed a number of issues where the assistance of Germany and the Bundestag is important and sometimes decisive in our fight against the aggressor. In particular, the military aspect of such support was discussed in detail.
“Germany is a leader in Europe in supporting Ukraine, and the weapons we receive from you are not only the saved lives of Ukrainians, our defenders, but also our common path to victory,” Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized.
He once again thanked for the IRIS-T missile defense system, for Leopard-1 and Leopard-2, noting that Leopard-2 could become the main tank of this war, and thus “the tank of our future victory.”
Separately, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament outlined Ukraine’s defense priorities and called on his German colleagues to continue to support us in providing modern weapons, including tanks, air defense systems and long-range missiles, which are critical to our victory.
The parties also focused on Ukraine’s further steps towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration and Germany’s support for these aspirations; the adoption by the Bundestag of important political decisions for Ukraine, including the resolution already adopted on the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-33 as genocide of the Ukrainian people and the possible adoption of a resolution in support of the establishment of a special tribunal for the aggressor country.
The interlocutors discussed in detail the formula for peace proposed by the President of Ukraine. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine invited his German colleagues to discuss and support it.
“It is extremely important for us that Germany, as a world leader, as one of the most powerful players in the G7 club, supports the initiative of the President of Ukraine and, possibly, takes patronage over one of its points,” Ruslan Stefanchuk called and expressed hope that such cooperation would result in the organization of a Peace Formula Summit with the participation of all states involved in its implementation, and Germany in particular.
Separately, the Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine thanked the SPD representatives for their clear position that they reject the possibility of peace talks with russia at this stage of the war.
Rolf Mutzenich, the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in the Bundestag, emphasized that the German Parliament had supported Ukraine both before and during the full-scale war.
“We have already provided a lot of financial, military and humanitarian aid. And you can be sure that Germany has been and remains a great friend of Ukraine. And we promise that it will remain so in the future,” said Rolf Mutzenich.
He also expressed his admiration for the fact that despite the war and difficult conditions, the Ukrainian authorities are doing everything to keep state institutions and agencies working, including the Parliament of Ukraine, which is fully performing its functions.
On behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman of the SPD faction also assured the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s continued support for Ukraine from the Bundestag, and the SPD in particular, both in terms of European integration and various aspects of assistance. Rolf Mutzenich emphasized the establishment of justice in this war.
“We need to work to ensure that international criminal law prosecutes all criminals who have committed crimes against humanity, regardless of their political positions in the world.
We want to support you in this. In the future, Ukraine will want to become a full member of the international tribunal, and this requires a decision of the Ukrainian Parliament. We would very much welcome it,” the German parliamentarian emphasized.