Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ihor Zhovkva, held a meeting with the Minister Delegate for Europe at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Benjamin Haddad.
Ihor Zhovkva thanked France and Benjamin Haddad personally for their comprehensive support of Ukraine.
The meeting focused on preparations for leader-level events in New York during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, in particular the fifth summit of the International Crimea Platform and the meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, co-chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney.
Ihor Zhovkva and Benjamin Haddad coordinated further steps following up on the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which took place in Paris on September 4. The discussions focused on cooperation with partners, primarily the United States, to strengthen sanctions pressure on Russia and to finalize key components of security guarantees aimed at achieving real peace.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President emphasized the importance of introducing a full package of tough sanctions against Russia, in particular in the context of preparing the EU’s 19th sanctions package.
Special attention was given to Ukraine’s progress on the path to European Union membership.
“Ukraine and Moldova have nearly completed the screening process, which we undertook together. Our countries are ready to open the first cluster of negotiations on accession with the European Union,” Ihor Zhovkva noted.