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UNIC Co-Chairs: Strengthening Ukraine’s defence is essential to a just and lasting peace

26 January 2026

Today, meeting at the NATO Headquarters within the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Interparliamentary Council (UNIC), 33 parliamentarians from 14 Allied countries and Ukraine, co-chaired by Oleksandr Korniyenko (Ukraine) and Marko Mihkelson (Estonia), reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as Russia intensifies its war of aggression and its systematic attacks on civilian infrastructure. Opening the meeting, NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Marcos Perestrello stressed that “the NATO PA position has been consistent and principled: peace cannot be achieved by rewarding aggression. A just and lasting peace can only be achieved through strength.”

The UNIC Co-Chairs also issued a statement underlining the urgency of accelerating Allied support to Ukraine. The statement strongly condemns Russia’s deliberate campaign against energy, heating, and water facilities, aimed at inflicting maximum suffering on the Ukrainian population, especially during the winter months. It stresses that delays in delivering key military capabilities, particularly air defence systems and air-to-air missiles, directly endanger civilians and undermine Ukraine’s resilience.

During the UNIC meeting today at NATO Headquarters, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte underscored that “Parliamentarians are crucial to ensure Allied support for Ukraine, sustain security assistance, replenish stockpiles, strengthen air defences, and ensure a robust financial and industrial basis across the Alliance.” The Co-Chairs echo this in their statement by highlighting the indispensable role of Allied parliaments in mobilising political will, securing funding, and expanding defence-industrial capacity, including through co-production with Ukraine.

The statement reiterates support for NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) and calls for its full resourcing to ensure assistance matches Ukraine’s operational needs. It also stresses the importance of sustained financial, humanitarian, and economic support, alongside robust security guarantees, to enable a just and lasting peace.

The Co-Chairs reaffirm the Assembly’s commitment to Ukraine and its continued engagement with the Verkhovna Rada.

Read the full statement here. 

 

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Photos © NATO PA

 

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is institutionally separate from NATO but serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies and fosters better understanding of the Alliance’s objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance.