Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha met with the delegation of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) faction of the Bundestag (parliament) of the Federal Republic of Germany. The delegation was headed by the Acting Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, member of the Defense Committee of the Bundestag Thomas Erndl (CSU).
Andriy Sybiha expressed gratitude to the members of the delegation and leader of the faction Friedrich Merz for their active facilitation in Germany's adoption of vital decisions for Ukraine in the conditions of a full-scale invasion of Russia. This concerns Ukraine's status of a candidate state for joining the EU, approval of the sixth package of EU sanctions, defense, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine from Germany.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President commended the intensification of bilateral cooperation with Germany and noted the important role of the recent visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Ukraine together with other European leaders.
Andriy Sybiha informed the Bundestag delegation about the situation on the frontline. He emphasized the urgent need to speed up the supply of modern heavy weapons and equipment to our country. In view of the increased shelling by Russia of Ukrainian cities and the tactics of missile terror against the civilian population, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President repeated the call of the President of Ukraine fpr providing our country with powerful and effective anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems as soon as possible.
Separately, the need to further increase sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation in order to limit its opportunities to continue the war against Ukraine was discussed. Andriiy Sybiha called on the German deputies to facilitate the adoption of the seventh package of EU sanctions as soon as possible.
The Deputy Head of the President's Office also noted that an important prerequisite for the success of our country's efforts in confronting the aggressor is the recovery of the economy. For this, our state needs further macro-financial support from international partners.
The parties exchanged views on the prospects of unblocking Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea to resume the export of Ukrainian grain.
The German parliamentarians shared their impressions of the visit to Borodyanka and Irpin and praised the resilience of the Ukrainian people in resisting aggression. Thomas Erndl expressed his conviction that today Ukraine defends common European values and the security order in Europe.
Representatives of the CDU/CSU faction emphasized the importance of granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership.
The head of the delegation assured of the faction’s further active support for the steps aimed at repelling Russia's aggression and protecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.