On November 18, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna met with U.S. Senators on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada.

The meeting was attended by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, James Risch, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chris Coons, Tim Kaine, Jacky Rosen, Mike Rounds.

The participants discussed the current security situation and needs of Ukraine in this context, as well as exchanged views on planning further assistance for Ukraine.

“I am particularly pleased to receive signals of unity in support of Ukraine. The broad assistance of the United States is of great importance for the victory of Ukraine, the victory of democracy. This approach encourages other partners to be more active. All this has a great impact on the situation on the battlefield,” said Olha Stefanishyna.

The government official noted that the recent de-occupation of the right-bank part of the Kherson region will provide greater security for the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. She also drew attention to the low morale of the russian military.

At the same time, Olha Stefanishyna stressed that any pause in this war could be used by russia to regroup and strengthen its troops.

The government official stressed the need for a more strategic planning of arming Ukraine, in particular for the future, covering the period after Ukraine’s victory.

“The Kyiv Security Compact can become a basis for strategic approach to the military rearmament of the Ukrainian military and strengthening its potential today, as well as a framework for systematic combination of these measures with the planning, in particular financial, by Ukraine’s partners,” Olha Stefanishyna said.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that among the priorities for Ukraine today is protection of civilians and critical infrastructure from russian attacks, as well as supply of long-range artillery that saves lives of the military. At the same time it is important to build up sanctions pressure on russia to weaken its military potential.

In addition, Olha Stefanishyna drew attention of the U.S. Senators to the importance of state resilience in wartime.

“Today, the Government, the Verkhovna Rada and local authorities remain resilient, among other things, due to the progressive reforms that we have carried out together with our partners over the past eight years. To maintain this resilience we also need to preserve macro-financial stability and ensure timely social payments. We count on support from our partners in this regard,” Olha Stefanishyna said.