The USAID RADA Next Generation Program facilitated to organize the visit to USA of the VRU Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk for the NATO Parliamentary Summit. According to the VRU Speaker, “the main purpose of the visit is to provide comprehensive assistance to Ukraine in its fight against the russian aggressor.”
In particular, on July 8, the Ukrainian delegation held a briefing titled "War, Democracy, and Parliament: Ukraine 2024” at Washington’s Ukraine House. The USAID RADA Next Generation Program organized this event to enhance the communication between the VRU leadership and the US leading political and expert circles and convey to them the challenges faced by the Ukrainian Parliament during wartime.
On the day of the visit, Russia bombed the largest children's hospital, Okhmatdyt, un Kyiv, so the VRU Speaker, in his speech, drew the attendees’ attention to the horrific destruction from the bombing and showed pictures both on the screen and in hard copy. Ruslan Stefanchuk highlighted the importance of Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, integration into NATO's defense planning process, and sustainable, uninterrupted, and long-term military support for Ukraine.
More than 60 participants, including H.E. Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, and Mårten Ehnberg, the USAID RADA Next Generation Program Chief of Party, joined the event. During the briefing, the participants also discussed the challenges and triumphs faced by the Ukrainian Parliament during wartime.
The visit to the US aimed to provide a platform for the VRU Speaker to engage with leading political and research circles in the US and those from other countries, calling for greater support for Ukraine.
The USAID RADA: The Next Generation Program assists the Verkhovna Rada to conduct active parliamentary diplomacy to mobilize the world's support for the fight against the russian aggressor, for successful Euro-Atlantic integration and development of Ukrainian democracy.