Continuing their visit to Ukraine, the delegation led by the Speaker of the Saeima, Edvards Smiltēns, met with the highest Ukrainian officials — President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

President Zelensky thanked the entire Latvian people for their strong and relentless support, making an important contribution to the fight against the aggressor country Russia. He also emphasised the importance of Latvia’s political support on the way to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as the selflessly provided military assistance.

The Speaker of the Saeima reaffirmed Latvia’s strong support for Ukraine’s membership of the European Union and NATO.

In a conversation with the President of Ukraine and Minister of Foreign Affairs, E.Smiltēns stressed that Russia must be held accountable for the crimes committed in order to restore justice and the power of law. “There is no doubt about Ukraine’s victory, but our task is to make sure that it comes as soon as possible and calls for as few victims as possible. This is why military support from the democratic world to Ukraine is crucial," said E.Smiltēns.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, D.Shmyhal, expressed his gratitude to Latvia for understanding that substantial support for Ukraine’s reconstruction is needed now, without waiting for the end of the war. Our country is already actively involved in housing stock renovation projects in Chernihiv region.

The Head of Government of Ukraine also stressed the need to maintain pressure on Russia by reinforcing sanctions and continuing the policy of international isolation. He thanked Latvia for the firm stance on this issue.

At the start of the visit, the delegation of the Saeima met with the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Speaker of the Saeima addressed the Ukrainian Parliament in the Chamber.

E. Smiltēns on his visit to Ukraine is accompanied by Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, Raimonds Bergmanis, Chair of the  Defence, Interior Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee, Andris Sprūds, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, as well as Jānis Skrastiņš, Head of the Parliamentary Group for Promoting Cooperation with the Ukrainian Parliament.

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Saeima Press Service