On December 4, 2024 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, who arrived in Ukraine on his first visit since taking up the post as Head of the Council of Europe in September 2024.

The Deputy Minister noted the importance of the Secretary General's visit to Ukraine at this difficult time and thanked the Council of Europe for its consistent support of Ukraine in the context of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.

During the meeting, the parties paid particular attention to the issue of returning Ukrainian children illegally deported to Russia. They acknowledged the level of cooperation between Ukraine and the Council of Europe in implementing Ukraine's initiatives to facilitate the return of our children.

Yevhen Perebyinis stressed the importance of the Council of Europe's Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” to support our country in the course of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

The parties also discussed further steps to develop a comprehensive compensation mechanism for damages caused by the Russian aggression, considering the functioning of the Kyiv’s office of the Register of Damages.

In this regard, Yevhen Perebyinis stressed the importance of accelerating the process to set up the Claims Commission and the Compensation Fund, especially with a view to ensuring that the aggressor state is held accountable at the international level.