Delegation of 37 MPs went to US to establish contacts. At their own expense, - Stefanchuk
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk explained that the business trip of 37 MPs to the United States for a prayer breakfast was paid for at the MPs' own expense.
He said this in a commentary to "Radio Liberty", Censor.NET reports.
He noted that the task of the Ukrainian authorities is to reset relations with the United States, which requires systematic work at various levels, including the restoration of relations with the US Congress.
"That's why a large delegation went to the US, I think 37 people, of which half is the opposition and the other half is the mono-majority, to work systematically with senators to establish relations," Stefanchuk said.
At the same time, the speaker stressed that the MPs had travelled to the United States not for public money, but at their own expense.
"The Ukrainian parliament works everywhere, it always works according to the schedule. The work of the parliament is not limited to pressing buttons in the plenary hall... it is work in committees, provisional investigative commissions and at the diplomatic level," he assured.
As a reminder, on Thursday, 6 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised MPs who are "constantly" on international business trips instead of working on the ground for voters.
"It is very important when about half of the Ukrainian parliament is at this breakfast, and not in Kherson, not in Kharkiv, not in Zaporizhzhia, not in Sumy," Zelenskyy said.
