Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba concluded his official visit to Brussels (Belgium), where he had had a number of meetings in the European Parliament and the European Commission.

At a meeting with a group of MEPs, they pledged unwavering support for Ukraine on the part of this critical European institution. The parties discussed the course of reforms in Ukraine. The Deputy Prime Minister urged the MEPs to further keep the Ukrainian issue among the priorities on the agenda of the European Parliament.

During his visit, Dmytro Kuleba held a number of meetings at the European Commission, where he discussed the issues of political dialogue, effective implementation of the Association Agreement, financial cooperation.

In particular, at a meeting with EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, the parties commended the particular attention the EU pays to Ukraine and stressed that the agenda of Ukraine-EU relations should remain ambitious and action-packed.

At a meeting with the newly appointed Special Adviser to the President of the European Commission on relations with Ukraine, Elmar Brok, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine thanked the top official for his longstanding support for our country. The interlocutors discussed the opportunities and challenges facing Ukraine at the current stage and the prospects for engagement with the new EU leadership.

During a meeting with Vice-President of the European Commission for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis, Dmytro Kuleba stressed that European integration remains the topmost priority for the newly appointed Government of Ukraine. Valdis Dombrovskis commended Ukraine's progress in implementing reforms and urged to continue. The parties discussed the fulfillment by Ukraine of the conditions for receiving the second tranche (EUR 500 million) under the fourth EU macro-financial assistance program. In this regard, the Deputy Prime Minister assured the European Commissioner that efforts were being made by the Government and Parliament to adopt the legislative acts necessary to ensure the successful completion of the fourth program.

During the meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič, the officials discussed integration of Ukraine into the EU energy market, Naftogaz unbundling and ways of overcoming threats related to the construction of Nord Stream-2.

The cross-cutting issues at all the meetings were the interest of Ukraine and the European Union in the intensification of sectoral cooperation, first of all in the field of energy security, digital market, concluding of the agreement on the so-called ‘industrial visa free regime, the customs reform, and decentralization reform. The parties also discussed the EU's position on a number of aspects with regards to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The issue of legislative plans of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was separately raised. The European partners stressed on the importance of a decisive fight against corruption.

The Deputy Prime Minister invited the interlocutors to participate in an investment forum in Mariupol, scheduled for October.

“President Zelenskyy, the Verkhovna Rada and the Government of Ukraine focus on the implementation of extremely ambitious and complex reforms. Most of these reforms are in one way or another related to our European integration. They will make Ukraine stronger and more understandable for European businesses and citizens. I believe that we must now concentrate on unlocking the economic potential of our European integration. A strong Ukraine will mean a strong Europe. That's what I was talking about in Brussels. I'm glad we came to terms rather fast with our partners. We will work closely together”, Dmytro Kuleba assured following the visit.