Ukraine's parliament wants a permanent seat at the center of the EU's legislature. Kyiv plans to open a representation in the European Parliament in the near future, mirroring the European Parliament's own representation already established in Ukraine, Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk announced during a meeting of Ukraine's ambassadors, according to UkrInform.

Stefanchuk thanked colleagues in the European Parliament, noting that many initiatives began there with votes on resolutions, and that the most important decisions in support of Ukraine are prepared through cooperation with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

"In the very near future, we set ourselves the goal of opening a representation of Ukraine's Parliament in the European Parliament, just as the European Parliament has already opened its representation in Ukraine," he said.

The office builds on a working relationship

The representation would give permanence to an alliance that has produced results. The European Parliament has been one of the most consistent voices for Ukraine, passing resolutions on aid, sanctions, and accountability, and a standing parliamentary office in Brussels would allow Ukraine's legislature to coordinate directly with the body throughout the accession process.

The move fits Ukraine's broader push to embed itself in EU institutions as a candidate country, turning ad hoc parliamentary cooperation into a permanent presence.

Nordic, Baltic, and G7 tracks

Stefanchuk laid out other parliamentary directions. Cooperation with the Nordic and Baltic states, among Ukraine's most reliable partners, holds great prospects, and visits to Reykjavik and Helsinki are planned to strengthen that interaction, he said.

The G7 parliamentary dimension is another platform where Ukraine has steady support. Stefanchuk said he places great hopes in the G7 Speakers' Summit on 10 to 12 September in Paris, where Ukraine will participate as a full member for the fifth time.

The Crimea Platform stays on the agenda

Stefanchuk also stressed the Crimea Platform track, the diplomatic format Ukraine created to keep the occupied peninsula's return on the international agenda. He urged ambassadors to help secure the participation of their host countries' parliamentary speakers in the fifth Inter-Parliamentary Crimea Platform Forum, to be held in London in December.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said on June 28 that Ukraine's parliament is preparing a draft bill to hold elections following the end of the martial law period enacted as a result of the war.

"We are working on this draft law, because for the next elections, a new special draft law is needed that will regulate the so-called post-war elections," Stefanchuk said on Ukraine's marathon TV broadcast.

"We are preparing various basic scenarios so that people can exercise their fundamental constitutional right to vote. And this must take place in Ukraine. And I believe we will be able to find the right legislative compromise," he added.

The reason for separate legislation on a post-war election, Stefanchuk previously said, was due to the fact that Ukraine's Constitution does not not provide clarity on the details of holding elections following the end of a martial law period.

No details on the bill or timeline for implementation were provided.

Russia's full-scale invasion and the subsequent declaration of martial law in Ukraine meant elections have been impossible to hold, and President Volodymyr Zelensky's term has been extended, something constitutional lawyers say is allowed under Ukrainian law.

Despite criticism, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a resolution on Feb. 25 to hold elections after "a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace is secured" in the country.

While polling shows a vast majority of Ukrainian citizens do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, the lack of elections has stirred some controversy with Ukraine's allies.

At the start of his second term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to hold elections — something that Ukraine has thus far refused to do citing the difficulties of holding elections amid active warfare, as well as security implications.

Zelensky has previously said he is willing to step down in exchange for a peace agreement.

Russian propaganda has widely used the issue of elections in Ukraine to discredit the Ukrainian leadership. Mocow has repeatedly claimed that Zelensky is no longer a legitimate president, as his first term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024.

Russia has amassed 111,000 troops near Pokrovsk, Syrskyi says

Pokrovsk remains the “hottest spot” along the front line but “the situation is under control” and Russia has not crossed the administrative border from Donetsk to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert