Zelenskyy held separate meetings with opposition leaders for the first time since the start of the Great War

The President discussed the work of the Rada, mobilization and unity during the war with parliamentary factions

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a series of separate meetings with representatives of opposition factions and deputy groups of the Verkhovna Rada. According to “Suspilne”, this is the first such format of dialogue with the parliamentary opposition since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

The meetings were also attended by Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, the head of the “Servant of the People” faction David Arakhamia and the head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Budanov.

Representatives of almost all parliamentary groups were invited to the meeting

The President separately spoke with the leader of “European Solidarity” Petro Poroshenko, the head of “Batkivshchyna” Yulia Tymoshenko, the head of the “Holos” faction Oleksandra Ustinova, as well as representatives of the deputy groups “Platform for Life and Peace”, “Trust”, “Restoration of Ukraine”, “For the Future” and the inter-faction association “For Smart Politics”.

According to media reports, the meetings lasted almost six hours.

Poroshenko announced the “restoration of the subjectivity of the parliament”

After the meeting, Petro Poroshenko reported that the dialogue format was initiated by the leaders of the factions during the conciliation council.

According to him, in conditions of war, it is important to restore full-fledged interaction between the Bankova and the parliament.

“There are too many challenges that can only be overcome together,” Poroshenko noted and added that such meetings should become regular.

At the same time, the deputy from the “European Solidarity” Oleksiy Honcharenko called this format “the first in the seven years of Zelensky’s presidency.”

The parliament lacks votes for key bills

Olexandra Ustinova reported that during the meeting she was able to ask the president questions about mobilization, military rotations, demobilization, and bills awaiting the signature of the head of state.

According to her, one of the reasons for the consultations was the unstable situation in the Verkhovna Rada and the shortage of votes for important decisions.

This concerns, in particular, legislative initiatives necessary for Ukraine’s cooperation with the IMF and the European Union.

Ustinova also emphasized that the president did not demand support for specific bills, but emphasized the need to preserve the unity of parliament in times of war.

Budanov organized the meetings

According to RBC-Ukraine sources, the meetings were organized by Kyrylo Budanov. It is reported that he previously communicated with representatives of various factions and clarified key issues that concern parliamentary groups.

Yuriy Boyko’s press service also confirmed the fact of the meeting. They noted that the main topics were the defense of the state, the stability of the work of parliament, and the possibility of ending the war.

The president had previously held a separate meeting with deputies of the Servant of the People faction and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.