Ukraine hopes for support from German lawmakers to unblock EU accession clusters – Ukrainian parliament chair

Ukraine is counting on support from German parliamentarians to help unblock negotiation clusters in its EU accession talks, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk has said.

"I held a substantive meeting in Berlin with Robin Wagener, head of the German-Ukrainian parliamentary cooperation group, and his colleagues. We discussed key security and cooperation issues and also touched on Ukraine's European integration. We are counting on continued assistance from German lawmakers in unblocking negotiation clusters and countering political manipulations aimed at slowing Ukraine's progress toward the EU," Stefanchuk wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

According to the speaker, he stressed that only strength and unity can compel Russia to engage in genuine negotiations.

"We agreed that the path to a just peace lies through strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, expanding sanctions, and closing loopholes that the Russian defense industry still exploits," Stefanchuk added.

He also said that the parties discussed Ukraine's economic resilience separately.

"Support from parliaments is crucial for securing long-term financial assistance, including through the use of frozen Russian assets in the EU. This is a matter of justice: the aggressor must pay for its crimes," the speaker said.

Stefanchuk added that both sides agreed to intensify interparliamentary cooperation – from reviving friendship groups to establishing permanent coordination between key parliamentary committees on foreign policy, defense, and European integration.

As reported earlier, Stefanchuk is currently on an official visit to Germany.