Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a meeting with the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Torbjörn Sohlström.
The parties discussed the security situation in Ukraine and the region in view of Russia's continuous open aggression against our state.
Ihor Zhovkva thanked Sweden for its leadership, political and practical support for our country since the beginning of the armed conflict.
A special role in protecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the return of temporarily occupied territories is played by Sweden joining the so-called tank coalition and the allocation of 11 packages of military aid.
The key attention was paid to Sweden's Presidency of the Council of the EU and the dynamics of the implementation of its priorities. The parties discussed in detail the status of Ukraine's implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission, which are necessary for the acquisition of EU membership. In this context, the diplomats coordinated further steps for the next three months of the Swedish Presidency to speed up the European integration of our country.
"We are grateful to Sweden for its significant support and lobbying efforts regarding Ukraine's integration into the EU among the European partners. The Ukrainian state demonstrates significant progress in implementing the European Commission's recommendations for our state to become a full member. We count on a fair assessment of Ukraine's success in this direction, as well as a clear plan for further actions for joining the EU. European integration is a component of Ukraine's defense in the war against Russia," the Deputy Head of the President's Office emphasized.
The interlocutors exchanged opinions regarding the effectiveness, current level, as well as expectations regarding the support of Ukraine from the EU. In this context, Ihor Zhovkva thanked Sweden for voting in support of the European Union's approval of a three-pronged joint action plan, which will enable the acceleration of the supply of artillery ammunition to Ukraine and ensure the replenishment of European stocks.
"We appreciate Sweden's support of the EU's joint action plan, within which, in particular, an important political decision was made to supply Ukraine with one million artillery munitions during the next year," said the Deputy Head of the President's Office.