Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva met with a delegation of the European Parliament's political group "Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats" headed by its President Iratxe García Pérez.
The parties exchanged views on the security situation in Ukraine against the backdrop of countering Russian armed aggression. In this context, Ihor Zhovkva emphasized the important role of the European Parliament in mobilizing pan-European support for Ukraine on the whole range of issues that speed up our victory.
"We are grateful to the European Parliament for almost two dozen resolutions over the past year with important signals in support of Ukraine in the fight against Russian armed aggression. A special place is taken by the resolution of March 1, 2022, calling for granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership. We expect negotiations on EU membership to begin this year. This will be a significant investment in the secure future of Europe," the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office emphasized.
The parties discussed in detail the Peace Formula of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ihor Zhovkva called on MEPs to facilitate the participation of their countries in the practical implementation of the Ukrainian peace plan.
"Ukraine is a country that seeks peace. We are grateful to many foreign leaders for the support already expressed for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. We are working on holding a global summit of the Peace Formula in the near future in one of the world's capitals with the participation of leaders of all countries that share the principles of the UN Charter," said Ihor Zhovkva.
The parties discussed the economic situation in Ukraine. In this context, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office thanked the European Union for its macro-financial assistance for 2023.
The interlocutors also emphasized the need to increase the EU's sanctions pressure on Russia and work to prevent the aggressor country from circumventing the sanctions.
The parties also discussed the restoration of facilities damaged by Russia's terrorist attacks in Ukraine. Ihor Zhovkva informed the MEPs of our country's needs for rapid reconstruction in the de-occupied territories and called on the European states to actively engage in this process.