V4 House EU Committee Heads Agree on Most Things at Meeting in Kosice

Kosice, April 25 (TASR) – The situation in Ukraine was high on the agenda of the heads of the parliamentary EU committees of the Visegrad Four (V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), who met in Kosice on Monday.

Chairwoman of Slovak parliamentary committee for European Affairs Vladimira Marcinkova (SaS) told TASR that they found agreement in several areas, seeing it as a key message for both European and Ukrainian partners.

According to Marcinkova, all the countries represented, including Slovakia, agreed that Russia is committing heinous military crimes in Ukraine, crimes against humanity that are in conflict with international public law and the UN Charter. “As with all crimes, the criminal must be punished, and it is Russia,” she noted, adding that it’s important that the crimes be thoroughly investigated.

Marcinkova further stated that all participants were of the opinion that the sanctions against Russia already imposed sanctions by the European Union (EU) need to be thoroughly enforced. They also agreed on the need to help Ukraine materially and financially. With the exception of Hungary, they also agree on the need for military assistance to defend Ukraine or the imposition of tougher sanctions.

Head of the parliamentary committee for Ukraine’s integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, also took part in the meeting. She emphasised that humanitarian aid is declining in volume. “It’s very important that our solidarity, cohesion and aid to Ukraine doesn’t fade,” Marcinkova said in response.