Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who visited Lviv on September 17 as part of her fourth trip to Ukraine since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Main Topics of Discussion
During the negotiations, the parties paid special attention to the issues of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. The discussions centered on supporting negotiations regarding Ukraine’s EU membership, the importance of opening the first negotiation cluster as soon as possible, and strengthening the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation, including the adoption of the 19th package of restrictions.
“Support for negotiations regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU and the importance of opening the first cluster as soon as possible, sanctions against Russia, and the adoption of the 19th package of EU sanctions, Russian assets, and also social issues: building shelters for schools and European support for our program of free meals for all Ukrainian children in schools. We expect that the EU will also engage with us on these issues,” he stated.
Support for Social Initiatives and New European Parliament Office
Particular attention during the meeting was given to social cooperation. Specifically, issues related to the construction of shelters for schools and the support of the European Union for the state program of free meals for students were discussed. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is counting on continued active support from the EU in these areas.
In addition, the President of Ukraine welcomed the announcement of the opening of a European Parliament office in Ukraine, which is expected to facilitate closer cooperation between the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada. Roberta Metsola announced the establishment of a permanent representation of the European Parliament in Kyiv during her speech in the Verkhovna Rada on the morning of September 17.
Metsola’s visit to Ukraine once again confirmed the support of European institutions on the path to eurointegration, as well as agreements on joint steps in the areas of sanctions policy and social initiatives.