NATO Secretary General spoke for the first time in the Verkhovna Rada

In his speech, the Secretary General of the Alliance focused on the threats posed to the free world by Russia and its partners, in particular China.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Verkhovna Rada and addressed MPs. People's Deputy Irina Gerashchenko announced this on Facebook on Monday, April 29.

“NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada once again confirmed that Ukraine will be a member of the Alliance. True, he didn’t say when. Although, frankly, Ukraine expects a stronger and more unambiguous signal at the Washington NATO summit,” she wrote and added that Stoltenberg is the first Secretary General of the Alliance to speak in the Ukrainian parliament.

According to Gerashchenko, in his speech, the NATO Secretary General focused on the threats posed to the free world by Russia and its partners, in particular China.

In turn, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk called Stoltenberg’s visit to parliament “a clear and unambiguous signal to everyone: Ukrainians, international partners and the enemy, that Ukraine is not alone in its fight against the aggressor.”

According to the speaker, he discussed with the Secretary General the security situation and the defense needs of the state in the fight against the aggressor, “primarily additional air defense systems and artillery.”

Stefanchuk also recalled that Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO is enshrined in the Constitution of the state.

“This is the strategic course of our state. And therefore we very much look forward to progress towards membership in the Alliance at the NATO Washington Summit,” he said.