Ukraine fighting for values of Europe, civilization: Parliament chief

By Jeyhun Aiyev

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Ukrainians are fighting for the values of Europe and civilization, the chairman of the country's parliament said Tuesday.

Noting Ukraine's recent application for EU membership while speaking to reporters on the sixth day of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Ruslan Stefanchuk said: "I don't know, do we have any country that put so much blood into its right to be together with the EU?"

"I think that's a very important point for the EU in making its decision that Ukraine must be a member," added Stefanchuk, who heads the Verkhovna Rada, the country's unicameral parliament.

"That's very important for us. You see our situation of war ... Nobody could think about this a week ago. But now, we have this reality. The wonderful city of Kyiv, which has a history of a thousand years, now has this view," he said.

Asserting that the current situation of war "is not normal in the 21st century," Stefanchuk said all Ukrainian officials and institutions were at work to stop it.

He stressed that his top priority was now to communicate with the parliaments of EU countries on the perspective for Ukrainian EU membership.

Stefanchuk said: "67% of Ukrainian people said they want to be in the European Union and that is our mandate to say that we are ready. But now, it's your (EU) decision. We demonstrate here that we're ready and we put our life (on the line) for this future aim. For us, it's very important," he said.

- Relations with Turkiye

On Ukraine's ties with Turkiye, Stefanchuk said these are "one of the best relations that we have," emphasizing the "real political support" that the leaders of both countries give each other.

Referring to Turkish support for Ukraine, he said it was "very important what you are doing for Ukraine. It's really very important for us."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday reiterated his call for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

"Our call on both Russia and Ukraine is for them to cease their fire as soon as possible," Erdogan said.

- Kyiv and Kharkiv

Stefanchuk said some people had been evacuated from the capital Kyiv, mainly further west in Ukraine or to other countries.

"But, most of the people who live in Kyiv, they stay here. And they say that, 'It's our land and we'll be here. We have no other home, because Kyiv is our home,'" he added.

The Ukrainian official also highlighted that Kyiv could be "the oldest city in the whole territory of the former (Kievan) Rus," the first known east Slavic country.

Speaking on the latest strikes on the main square and administrative building in Kharkiv, the second-largest city of Ukraine, Stefanchuk said: "When we woke up, we woke up in a new reality."

"That was a horrible attack in the center of the biggest square in Europe, the Kharkiv square ... It's very dangerous for everyone," he said, adding that too many people had died already.

"Kharkiv is ... a city of young people. It's a university city. And people who live in Kharkiv mostly speak Russian ... but they are Ukrainians.

"And I can't understand what are you (Russian forces) doing in Kharkiv? Why are you bombing Kharkiv? I can say the same thing about Kyiv, too. That's not your city, it's our city," he stressed.

For Ukraine, he said, independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty are "red lines."

"It isn't just a red line, it's a holy line for our country."

Since Russia began its war on Ukraine last Thursday, it has been met by outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK, Canada, Japan, and the US implementing a range of economic sanctions on Moscow.

At least 136 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed and 400 others, including 26 children, injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.

Around 660,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the international body said Tuesday.