Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and Roberta METSOLA, EP President, open the meeting of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg.

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

solidarity with Ukraine (T)

STEFANTCHOUK, Rouslan

Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada at the European Parliament: extracts from the opening of the 14th meeting of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee

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Arrival of Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada

Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI (ECR,PL), Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee

Arrival of Roberta METSOLA, EP President - greetings with Ruslan STEFANCHUCK and Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI (ECR,PL)

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, It is an honor for me to open the 14th EU-Ukraine Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee meeting, together with the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and our dear friend Ruslan Stefanchuk

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Despite the ongoing, brutal and vicious Russian aggression against Ukraine, this meeting confirms the strong and unique link between our institutions. So dear friends. A very, very warm welcome to the European Parliament when it has come to what has happened in Ukraine

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, The majorities have been overwhelming and that is why the message that I passed on the 1st of April that the EU stands firmly with Ukraine and its people and that we can continue to say this extremely strongly.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, Our position is clear, strong and united. No more Russian gas and oil in Europe because we have to stop financing Putin's war. Now is the time for the European Union to deliver and grant Ukraine candidate status. This is a political decision that we must take, and it is a decision that I will take with me to the European Council on the 23rd and the 24th of June.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, I am very happy that my today's visit to Strasbourg is taking place on the same day when the 14th meeting of the Parliamentary Association Committee between the EU and Ukraine is starting. I am also very happy to be here present together with the President of the European Parliament, the great friend of Ukraine, Roberta Metsola, once again. Let me remind you that it was Ms.Metsola on the 1st of April, at the time when it was extremely difficult and very dangerous to be in Kiev. She did come to Kiev and she addressed the Ukrainian parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, I had the great honor today to address the European Parliament today and my messages were very clear and simple. Let me just repeat them first. The 24th of June, that's exactly four months since the brutal and terrible war that is taking place in Ukraine. And I think that those four months should be commemorated. That should be marked because the resilience of the Ukrainian people should be. No, that should be marked. And that resistance that Ukraine is showing and this most terrible war since after the Second World War, they should be not that should be marked by the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Ruslan STEFANCHUCK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Once again, I want to emphasize the European Parliament is a very powerful voice that represents 500 million people of the European Union. And this voice should be heard. This voice should be significant and this voice should be decisive for such important decisions, which is bringing Ukraine back into the European House.

Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI (ECR,PL), Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee opens the meeting and cutaways (5 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI (ECR, PL), The war, the Russian aggression against Ukraine united us. And we have very united, common answers on how to deal with this aggression .