Ruslan Stefanchuk had a conversation with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk held a videoconference conversation with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament Milton Dick.
At the outset, Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his sincere gratitude for Australia's unconditional bipartisan support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that “Ukraine highly appreciates such support in the unprovoked, full-scale war unleashed by russia”.
In particular, he noted that Australia is one of the largest contributors of military assistance to Ukraine outside of NATO, and for our country, this is a true manifestation of friendship and solidarity.
"Ukraine's victory depends on the unconditional and sustained support of its allies and partners. And I would like to thank you especially for the Bushmaster armoured personnel carrier, which has already become a symbol of Australian assistance. But we need more of these vehicles, and for a successful counter-offensive, Ukraine needs planes, tanks and artillery," the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed and called on his colleague to personally assist in mobilising military assistance from Australia.
In addition, the parties discussed a number of political issues important for Ukraine's victory and its post-war future: strengthening sanctions pressure on russia, in particular, Australia's support for further tightening of restrictions in sectors of particular economic importance to russia; Australia's joining the coalition to establish a special tribunal for russia for the crime of aggression against Ukraine; implementation of the peace formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and taking certain points of the initiative under Australian patronage.
Ruslan Stefanchuk also noted that the Ukrainian Parliament is deeply interested in further deepening interparliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
In conclusion, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament invited his Australian colleague to visit Ukraine and take part in the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform, which will be held in October in Prague.
For his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament, Milton Dick, assured his Ukrainian counterpart that Australia strongly condemns russia’s illegal aggression and has always stood by Ukraine.
"I want to assure you that our Parliament is unanimous in its support for Ukraine. We will do everything necessary to bring russia to justice for its illegal invasion so that the Ukrainian people can live in peace. We express our utmost respect and admiration for what you are doing and stand by Ukraine! We stand with you!" the Speaker stressed, adding that Australia is aware of Ukraine's economic and defence needs and will do everything possible to support it.
In addition, Milton Dick noted the strengthening and deepening of Ukraine's presence in the activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, where Australia plays an important role, and assured the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament of support for the involvement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the activities of the G20 Summit.
He also stressed that Australia considers the invitation to participate in the Second Summit of the International Crimean Platform a great honour to “add its voice to the voices of parliaments around the world that strongly condemn russian aggression and stand shoulder to shoulder with other parliamentarians around the world to support Ukraine in this fight”.