The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with a delegation of the US Congress
“This meeting is important in the context of the development of parliamentary dialogue between our countries,” the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine said, noting the value of bipartisan and bicameral support of the US Congress for Ukraine.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed his gratitude for the defence assistance package provided by the United States. He also assured that the transparent use of US funds is a priority for Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Parliament has established a relevant provisional investigatory commission.
The parties also discussed the security situation. Ruslan Stefanchuk spoke about the consequences of russian terror against civilians and the daily shelling of Ukrainian cities by russia. He also focused on the decisions that are important to get from our allies: “First and foremost, it is the lifting of all restrictions on the use of partner weapons to hit russian military targets. This will help stop the russian terror.”
In addition, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine stressed the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defence and the importance of the first F-16 aircraft arriving in Ukraine. “This decision has significantly strengthened Ukraine's defence capabilities,” he said, adding that it is important for Ukraine to have enough F-16s to be able to counter approximately 300 russian aircraft. “It is also important to increase the number of training places for Ukrainian pilots,” Ruslan Stefanchuk added.
Finally, the parties discussed the energy situation, budget support and the continuation of sanctions pressure against russia.