A delegation of the Committee on European Affairs of the Slovak Parliament, led by Committee Chair Juraj Ferencak, arrived in Ukraine for the first time at the invitation of Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU.

The visit began with a joint commemoration with Ukrainian colleagues of the fallen soldiers at the Memory Wall near St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.

On the first day of the visit, the Slovak MPs met with First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, members of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, members of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, as well as representatives of the Ukraine–Slovakia Parliamentary Friendship Group.

During the meeting with the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, the sides discussed Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, the country’s path toward the European Union, the challenges associated with the opening of accession negotiations, and the reforms Ukraine must implement on its way to the EU. “We had extensive discussions about the war, about shared threats, and about the extent to which the challenges facing Ukraine are in fact challenges for the entire European continent,” said Committee Chair Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze. “We count on Slovakia, understanding these challenges, to become more actively engaged in supporting Ukraine.”

The Slovak MPs expressed their support for Ukraine’s European integration. They emphasized that Slovakia is interested in cooperation at the community level and in sharing its own accession experience to help Ukraine move forward. The sides also discussed potential joint projects in which Slovakia could participate. “Their delegation includes representatives of both the coalition and the opposition — just like our own committee. This kind of genuine inter-parliamentary dialogue is crucial for strengthening our relations,” Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze noted. She added that the visit is an important step toward warming and revitalizing relations with the Slovak Republic: “We are pleased that this step has been taken and hope that it will lay the foundation for further development of our inter-parliamentary ties.”

Together with members of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, the Slovak delegation also visited sites in Kyiv hit by Russian missile and drone attacks. “They were deeply moved by what they saw — by the ruins and by the human stories they encountered. We believe that those visiting Ukraine for the first time will now have additional arguments to convey to their societies that this is a common war and why Russia must be compelled to make peace rather than encouraged into a vague dialogue,” said the Committee Chair. She noted that Slovak parliamentarians firmly support Ukraine’s aspiration to defend its territorial integrity and to restore it within its internationally recognized borders.