The fifth president of Ukraine and leader of the “European Solidarity” party, Petro Poroshenko, announced that meetings between President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of parliamentary factions and groups will now be held on a regular basis. Poroshenko reported this after a personal conversation with Zelensky that took place on May 26 and was the first in several years.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Regular meetings in wartime
According to Poroshenko, the initiative to hold such meetings came from the faction leaders during the conciliatory council, and President Zelensky supported this proposal. He emphasized that during wartime, dialogue between the head of state and parliament is crucial for maintaining the subjectivity of the Verkhovna Rada, as many pressing issues can only be resolved through joint efforts.
“It was initiated at the request of the faction leaders at the conciliatory council, and it is important that the president heard us. In conditions where Ukraine is waging a war for survival, dialogue with parliament and restoring its subjectivity is vital. There are too many challenges that can only be overcome together. We agreed that such meetings will take place regularly, and the dialogue will become permanent,” Poroshenko noted.
In addition to Poroshenko, on May 26, President Zelensky held meetings with Yulia Tymoshenko (“Fatherland”), Oleg Kulinich (“Trust”), Yuriy Boyko (“Platform for Life and Peace”), Antonina Slavytska (“Restoration of Ukraine”), Ihor Palitsa (“For the Future”), Dmytro Razumkov (“Smart Politics”), and Oleksandra Ustinova (“Voice”).
Details of the meetings and discussed issues
It became known that the negotiations involved the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, the leader of the “Servant of the People” faction David Arakhamia, and the head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Budanov. The meetings, according to the members of parliament, lasted about half an hour. So far, other participants have not provided public comments on their course.
Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the atmosphere during the discussions was warm, and no requests or personnel decisions from the president were made. Zheleznyak also noted that President Zelensky predicted a possible end to the active phase of the war by November, although he did not explain the reasons for choosing that particular date.
The day before, on May 25, Zelensky met with the “Servant of the People” faction, where, according to Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk, there was also talk about the prospects for ending the hot phase of hostilities by November.