As part of a working trip to Lviv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola visiting our country for the second time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

The Head of State thanked the President of the European Parliament for her leadership in supporting Ukraine since the first days of the terrible war and for the important decisions made by this European institution.

"In particular, as it was on March 1 last year, when on the second day after submitting our EU membership application, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on support and the need to grant the EU candidate status to Ukraine," Zelenskyy recalled.

The President of Ukraine also noted the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, recognizing the Holodomor (famine) of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as a genocide of the Ukrainian people, establishing an international tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine, and preparing the Ukraine-EU summit (with the support of the Peace Formula), as well as the resolution marking one year of Russia's full-scale invasion, which, in particular, contains a call for delivering the necessary weapons to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy thanked Metsola for her firm position on the need to increase sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation. He said that the 10th sanctions package is extremely important, but sanctions pressure on the aggressor needs to be strengthened.

The presidents of Ukraine and the European Parliament discussed the promotion of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and the prospects of involving a wide range of world players, primarily Global South countries, in the upcoming summit in support of peace.

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine aims to complete the implementation of the European Commission's recommendations as soon as possible and start negotiations on joining the EU already this year.

The interlocutors discussed the perspective of the functioning of the Liaison Office of the European Parliament in Ukraine, which will contribute to enhancing cooperation and stepping up European integration processes.

For her part, Metsola said that she is very glad to come to Ukraine again, in particular, to visit Lviv for the first time.

The President of the European Parliament assured of the unwavering support of our country in resisting full-scale Russian aggression, which protects not only itself, but also Europe, and on the way to membership in the European family, of which Ukraine is an inseparable part.