The Ukrainian delegation held an analytical briefing on the current security, economic, and humanitarian situation in Ukraine for 23 senators from both parties of the U.S. Congress.
Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak provided an update on the negotiation process aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace. He emphasized that Ukraine did not start the war but is committed to ending it. At the same time, Russia is doing everything to prolong the war and uses negotiations as a cover for further aggression. The position of the Russian Federation’s delegation in the talks is evidence of this.
“It is necessary to cut off Russia’s resources for this war. Sanctions are needed. Your upcoming bipartisan bill is a strong step in this direction. And let Moscow pay for what it has destroyed,” Andriy Yermak stressed.
First Deputy Minister of Defense Serhiy Boyev and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa spoke about the battlefield situation, military needs, and interest in joint defense industry projects with the United States.
Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk noted that despite sanctions on the energy sector, Russia earned nearly USD 600 billion from oil exports between 2022 and 2024. Through the financial sector – banks and cryptocurrency – the Russian Federation continues to bypass imposed restrictions and finds ways to use foreign components in its weapons.
Bring Kids Back UA Chief Operating Officer and Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President Dariia Zarivna reported that during talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian side handed over a list of several hundred abducted children to Russia. Their return could be a trust-building step before a systemic solution regarding Ukrainian children within the peace process is defined. She also noted that U.S. support would help bring many children back home.
First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko spoke about Ukraine’s resource potential and opportunities for strategic partnership with the United States, including within the framework of the Reconstruction Investment Fund.
Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelenskyi, and a pastor from a church in Melitopol – currently under Russian occupation – Mykhailo Brytsyn provided updates on the religious situation in Ukraine and the humanitarian consequences of Russian aggression: destroyed infrastructure, demolished churches, and persecution of clergy in temporarily occupied territories.
The briefing was attended by Republican senators Chuck Grassley, Mike Rounds, Lindsey Graham, Timothy Patrick Sheehy, Pete Ricketts, Joni Ernst, Kevin Cramer, Katie Britt, Ron Johnson, and Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal, Adam Schiff, Amy Klobuchar, Andy Kim, Chris Coons, Peter Welch, Mark Kelly, Jeanne Shaheen, Tim Kaine, Tammy Baldwin, Michael Bennet, Maggie Hassan, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Richard Durbin.