Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a meeting with a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament, which arrived in our country.
The delegation included: Vice Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament Urmas Paet, Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau, Chairman of the Informal Group of Friends of European Ukraine in the European Parliament Petras Auštrevičius, Standing Rapporteur on Ukraine at the European Parliament Michael Gahler, Members of the European Parliament Anna Fotyga, Tonino Picula and Hannah Neumann.
Yermak thanked the MEPs for the support that our state and its citizens have received from the European Parliament since the first days of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
"Our people will never forget this. And the victory of Ukraine, which we are absolutely sure of, will be our joint victory," the head of the President's Office said.
Yermak said that our state and society do not plan to stop and will continue to fight persistently for liberation of the entire territory of Ukraine from the Russian occupiers. In particular, despite the terror against the civilian population, which Russia began in early October, intensely shelling critical infrastructure facilities with missiles and drones.
The Head of the Office of the President said that the European Parliament was the first to support Ukraine's application for EU membership and called for our country to be granted the EU's candidate status, one of the first to call for the creation of a specialised tribunal to try the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and on November 23, it passed the resolution designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and as a state that uses means of terrorism.
In this regard, Yermak expressed hope for the political leadership of the European Parliament in the matter of supporting the provision of security guarantees to Ukraine. He reminded that the Yermak-Rasmussen international group has developed proposals in a document called the "Kyiv Security Compact" to provide our country with reliable security guarantees until full membership in NATO, which may take some time.
In addition, Ukraine is counting on the support of the 10-point peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his address at the G20 summit.
According to him, our country aims at implementing the recommendations of the European Commission by the end of the current year, which is a component of the path to EU membership, and it is trying not to waste time.
The head of the President's Office also expressed hope for support from the European Parliament in the process of further toughening of sanctions against the Russian Federation, proposals for which, in particular, are actively being worked on by the Yermak-McFaul international group.
At a briefing for media representatives after the meeting with the MEPs, Yermak said that the European Parliament supports Ukraine not declaratively, but with concrete action.
"I am very grateful to our friends and partners for being with us today," he said.
Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau said that at the meeting they discussed the major initiatives proposed by Ukraine, in particular the Kyiv Security Compact and the peace initiatives of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It is wonderful that at a time when the war has such huge consequences for Ukraine, it is ready to explain its formula for peace and how it will use it in reality after the war. No one can say that Ukraine does not want peace, Loiseau said.
She reminded that the European Parliament designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, expressed a clear message of support for the creation of an international tribunal to prosecute people liable for atrocities and war crimes on Ukrainian territory.
According to her, the meeting participants discussed military assistance to Ukraine, increased support for infrastructure restoration, provision of transformers and other equipment for the Ukrainian energy industry. It was also about the support of our country in matters of sanctions against Russia.
"We fully understand that Ukraine is fighting not only for its independence and sovereignty – it is also fighting for our security and our values," the MEP said.
For his part, Vice Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament Urmas Paet said that attacks against critical infrastructure of Ukraine are absolutely inhumane, cause millions of people to suffer and threaten their lives.
All these are challenges for all of us, for the European Union, he said. And all states should be responsible for providing Ukraine with all the necessary assistance, because it goes without saying that the only solution to this issue is when Ukraine is free again and restores its borders, he is convinced.
According to the MEP, the aggressor country, which sponsors terrorism, must pay for its attacks and its actions.
Paet also expressed the opinion that the EU countries will take next steps regarding Ukraine's application for membership in the European Union extremely quickly.
"We see what is happening in Ukraine, especially in recent months. It's clear to us that we need a strong Ukraine for European security," he said.