As part of their visit to Strasbourg, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniyenko and Deputy Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk held a series of bilateral meetings with the leadership of Council of Europe institutions and regional partners.

In particular, meetings took place with:

• Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe;

• Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;  

• Gunn Marit Helgesen, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe;

• Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress.  

Separate contacts were held with the Congress rapporteur on Ukraine and representatives of the Grand Est region.

At the heart of all meetings were the support for Ukraine in the context of Russia's ongoing military aggression and practical aspects of the nation's recovery.

Discussions focused on:

• The role of local and regional levels in Ukraine's reconstruction;

• Support for Ukrainian hromadas (communities), particularly in de-occupied territories;

• Further advancement of the decentralization reform;

• Strengthening democratic governance;

• Ukraine's European integration.

Special emphasis was placed on the issues of justice and accountability. The Ukrainian side consistently stressed the necessity of holding Russia accountable for the crime of aggression and advancing the initiative to create a special tribunal.

Concrete mechanisms of cooperation between Ukrainian communities and European partners, particularly at the regional level, were also discussed.

The visit to Strasbourg reaffirmed once again that systemic interaction with Council of Europe institutions remains key to strengthening international support for Ukraine, advancing reforms, and shaping solutions for post-war recovery.