On June 29, the first round of the 18th session of the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC) took place in Kyiv, with the participation of members of the Ukrainian Parliament and members of the European Parliament. The event was also attended by Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and Yevhen Perebyinis, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During his remarks, Yevhen Perebyinis expressed gratitude to the EU for its comprehensive support of Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression. He emphasized that the EU’s military, financial, humanitarian, and political assistance is one of the key factors in Ukraine’s resilience and its ability to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic values. The Deputy Minister underscored the importance of further strengthening military support for Ukraine, which is a necessary prerequisite for achieving a just and sustainable peace.
He specifically emphasized the irreversibility of Ukraine’s path toward European integration and noted the opening on June 15 of Negotiation Cluster 1, “Fundamentals,” as evidence of Ukraine’s significant progress toward EU membership; he also noted that the Ukrainian side expects other negotiation clusters to open as early as July.
In addition, Yevhen Perebyinis emphasized the need to maintain and intensify sanctions pressure on Russia to limit its ability to finance the war and weaken the aggressor state’s military capabilities.
The meeting participants reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and discussed, in particular, further strengthening the sanctions policy against Russia, utilizing frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine, and ensuring long-term financing for the Ukrainian state.
Following the meeting, members of the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Association Committee adopted a joint statement and recommendations reaffirming their commitment to further developing cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union and to supporting Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.