Regular bilateral exchanges with counterparts from Ukraine Verkhovna Rada continue in 2026
From Monday 16 March to Thursday 19 March BGIPU welcomed a visit to London by a delegation from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The delegation was led by Lesia Vasylenko MP, Chair of the UK Friendship Group in the Verkhovna Rada, who was joined by Yehor Cherniev MP, Andrii Zhupanyn MP, Larysa Bilozir MP, Iryna Nykorak MP and Andriy Nikolaienko MP. They were accompanied by Olha Plakhova, Assistant to Lesia Vasylenko MP.
The delegation began their visit with a meeting with the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel MP. The delegation updated the Shadow Foreign Secretary on the situation in Ukraine and discussed ongoing UK support as well as the impact of the Iran war. Following this, they were hosted by BGIPU Chair Fabian Hamilton MP for a welcome lunch.
After lunch they met with Nusrat Ghani MP, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means, before a meeting with Rt Hon Lord Robertson of Port Ellen to discuss the UK’s Strategic Defence Review and defence cooperation between the UK and Ukraine. The delegation then departed parliament for a meeting at RUSI.
The second day of the visit began with a meeting with the Shadow Defence Secretary, James Cartlidge MP to discuss UK-Ukraine defence cooperation and the impact of the Iran war. After this, the delegation had a roundtable meeting with MPs chaired by Alex Sobel MP, Chair of the APPG on Ukraine. This was followed by a meeting with the Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson James MacCleary MP, and then a working lunch hosted by Alicia Kearns MP, Vice Chair of BGIPU. In the afternoon the delegation met with the Defence Select Committee and attended an event organised by the Ukrainian Embassy on countering Russia’s shadow fleet and its energy revenue.
The delegation started the third day of their visit by meeting with the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, to discuss the energy situation in Ukraine. They then met with the Lords International Relations and Defence Committee, before meeting with Sir Bernard Jenkin MP and attending Prime Minister’s Questions. After a working lunch hosted by BGIPU Vice Chair Rt Hon Baroness Northover, the delegation met with Rhiannon Kempson, Deputy Director of Ukraine Reconstruction at the Department for Business and Trade.
This was followed by a meeting with the Founder and Managing Director of Brimstone, Aaron Florence, to discuss work on demining. After this, they met with Johanna Baxter MP to discuss her campaigns for deported Ukrainian children, and then Helen Maguire MP to discuss women in the armed forces. In the evening, some of the delegation attended an event coordinated by Dame Nia Griffith MP and Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics on Ukraine and the transformation of European defence.
The final day of the visit began at the Ukrainian Embassy for a roundtable meeting with energy industry representatives. The delegation then travelled to Parliament for a lunchtime discussion on the impact of the war on civilians, including a report from Stirling University and a short film by Nataliya Gumenyuk. They returned to the Embassy for a meeting with defence industry representatives, followed by a meeting with the Ukrainian Ambassador, and ended their visit back in Parliament for a meeting with Al Carns MP, Minister for the Armed Forces, and Will Green, Head of Taskforce Kindred.
The visit provided an opportunity for the delegation to hold extensive discussions with parliamentary, governmental, expert and industry interlocutors on a wide range of issues, particularly across the themes of defence and energy security.
Ukraine delegation meets Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel. MP
Ukraine Delegation meets the Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP
Ukraine Delegation meets former NATO SG Lord Robertson
The Ukraine Delegation in Westminster Hall
