In Kyiv on 9 May 2024, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, addressed the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and met its Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Presidents Metsola and Zelenskyy discussed Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland and the European Parliament’s support for President Zelenskyy’s 10 point peace plan, air defence, sanctions against Russia and the use of profits from Russian frozen assets for Ukraine’s defence and recovery.

President Metsola was decorated with an Order of Merit, First Class by President Zelenskyy.

“The European Parliament will help Ukraine in any way possible to advance on all the necessary steps on its European path. We will remain as vocal as ever on Ukraine, as my visit today also demonstrates” – Roberta Metsola stated.

During the afternoon, President Metsola met with Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and addressed the plenary session of the Rada.

“The last time I was in this Chamber I made three promises to you, promises that I am proud to say the European Union, the European Parliament, has delivered on” - the President of the EP assured. Later in her speech, Metsola listed the actions that the European Union has taken to support fighting Ukraine.
“We have adopted 13 packages of hard-hitting sanctions against Putin and his allies, (…) which means that hundreds of billions of euros worth of Russian assets are now frozen in the EU. (…) I promised that Europe would open up its borders, its homes and hearts to your families, your children, your loved ones, who were forced to flee. (…) We said we would help you to rebuild your cities, your towns, your villages. The adoption of the 50 billion euro Ukraine Facility is our most recent tangible support for that” - Metsola said, stressing that "Ukraine's place is in the European Union" and "Europe will always stand for peace".

During the visit, the President of the European Parliament visited a school and a power plant in Kyiv destroyed by Russian air raids, as well as the Centre for the Protection of Children's Rights and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, where she gave a keynote speech and held a discussion with students. The university awarded her an honorary doctorate.

“We are painfully aware, that Ukraine urgently needs more equipment and air defence systems to defend itself against the aggressor. We Europeans need to deliver. We need to take responsibility, intensify our support and deliver on our financial support” – said.

President Metsola also addressed the International Summit of Cities & Regions, along with President Zelenskyy, Chairman Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Shmyhal, underlining the role of cooperation between regions and cities in Ukraine’s reconstruction. In her speech she thanked European cities and regions for having made significant contributions to the Generators of Hope campaign, initiated by the European Parliament, as well as the importance of cities and regions in welcoming Ukrainians who had to flee the war.

Two years of war in Ukraine

From the first moment of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the European Parliament has been the staunchest supporter of Ukraine by being the first EU institution to call for granting Ukraine EU candidate status and later to open the accession negotiations.

The European Parliament organised an extraordinary plenary session on 1 March 2022, in which President Zelenskyy spoke to the world via videolink. President Zelenskyy addressed the Parliament in person on 9 February 2023.

Source of information: European Parliament.