The Verkhovna Rada created the Council for Cooperation with Poland: what issues will the new body address?

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, signed an order on the establishment of the Council for Cooperation with the Republic of Poland. The new consultative platform will work on issues of reconstruction of Ukraine, European integration, economic partnership and development of inter-parliamentary relations.

Why was the new Council created?

According to Stefanchuk, Ukraine is launching a new format of bilateral parliamentary cooperation with neighboring states. The first country with which such an initiative is being implemented is Poland.

It is planned to involve people’s deputies, diplomats, scientists, representatives of business, public organizations, culture and the media in the work of the newly created Council.

The main areas of activity will be:

Reconstruction of Ukraine – involving Polish partners in the implementation of reconstruction projects.

European integration – supporting reforms and adapting Ukrainian legislation to EU norms.
Economic partnership – developing trade and investment ties between states.
Inter-parliamentary cooperation – strengthening interaction between the Verkhovna Rada and the Polish Parliament.
Joint legislative initiatives — preparation of proposals to deepen bilateral relations.

Stefanchuk emphasized that the new body should become a platform for developing specific solutions, and not just political consultations.

Ukraine and Poland deepen strategic partnership

The creation of the Council was a continuation of the agreements reached between Ukrainian and Polish parliamentarians during 2026.

In particular, on February 23, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and the Marshal of the Sejm of Poland Włodzimierz Czaszysty signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership.

At that time, the parties also agreed to create a parliamentary expert working group to support Ukraine’s European integration.

Its tasks were defined as expert support for reforms, adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to European Union law, and coordination of European integration processes.

In June 2026, the 15th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine and Poland was held in Gdansk, during which the reconstruction of Ukraine, European integration and common security challenges were discussed.

In addition, on October 9, during a visit to Warsaw, Stefanchuk held talks with the Marshal of the Polish Senate, Malgorzata Kidawa-Błonska. The parties raised the issues of defense cooperation, countering Russian disinformation and implementing humanitarian projects.

The new format of cooperation is planned to be extended to other countries

Ukraine pays special attention to the development of the regional format “Carpathian Eight”, launched in September 2026.

It includes Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary.

Among the priorities of cooperation are regional security, energy, transport infrastructure, cross-border economic interaction and support for border communities.

According to Stefanchuk, Ukraine is working on forming a parliamentary dimension of this association.

At the same time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada announced his intention to create similar cooperation councils with other neighboring states.