Verkhovna Rada

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with German Minister for Development Svenja Schulze to discuss the implementation of joint projects, coordinate work ahead of the Recovery Conference in Berlin in June, and emphasize Ukraine's fruitful cooperation with the German Reconstruction Credit Institution (KfW), which supports small and medium-sized enterprises that are crucial to Ukraine's recovery.

On Europe Day, U. S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken emphasized the importance of the U.S.-EU partnership in defending against Russian aggression in Ukraine and noted shared democratic values and economic prosperity.

Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met with Robert Metsola, President of the European Parliament, in an air raid shelter during her visit to Kyiv on Europe Day to discuss military support, Ukraine's EU membership bid, and support for parliamentary cooperation.

German Development Minister Svenja Schulze's meeting with sacked Ukrainian Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov in Kyiv was canceled after it became known that the Verkhovna Rada had dismissed him.

The Verkhovna Rada passed a bill that introduces mechanisms for local democracy, including public consultations, discussions, meetings, petitions, and community participation in budgeting, and obliges local deputies to report to their communities.

The Chief of Staff of the Verkhovna Rada proposed to provide official housing to the staff of the Verkhovna Rada by amending the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on official housing.

After the air alert ended, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mecola, began her speech in the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Europe Day.

"Kvartal 95 aired a story ridiculing the head of the Rivne TCC and JV caught kissing women in his office. Because of this, MPs requested law enforcement agencies to "defame the authority of the Armed Forces" and "humiliate the honor and dignity of Ukrainian servicemen" during martial law.

The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law allowing trained Ukrposhta employees to carry and use firearms to protect postal funds and facilities from attacks.

The Verkhovna Rada supported a draft law allowing foreigners serving in the Ukrainian armed forces to obtain Ukrainian citizenship and grant temporary residence permits to their family members.

The Verkhovna Rada passed a law allowing the simultaneous issuance of Ukrainian passports and passports for traveling abroad, including for Ukrainians abroad, with different prices depending on the time of issuance.

President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola arrived in Kyiv on Europe Day, May 9, as she announced on her social media, where she posted a video of herself greeting Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk at the railway station.

The Ukrainian parliament voted to dismiss Oleksandr Kubrakov from the posts of Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development with 272 votes in favor, while Kubrakov and the prime minister were absent from the meeting.

A draft resolution to dismiss Oleksandr Kubrakov from the post of Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure is registered in the Verkhovna Rada.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will finalize a draft law on the introduction of a funded pension system to provide additional pension savings for Ukrainian citizens.

The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider a draft law that proposes to increase penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for drug trafficking and precursor production during martial law.

The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider a draft law that would allow the President to return the submission for the appointment of judges to the High Council of Justice for reconsideration during martial law and a year afterwards if there is information about actions that threaten national security.

Ukraine will involve MPs in each of the 35 chapters that form the basis of the EU accession negotiations, with MPs from the relevant committees participating in the negotiations on the respective chapters, a new approach compared to previous EU enlargements.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has amended the procedure for reserving persons liable for military service during martial law, vesting the Ministry of Defense with powers previously held by the General Staff of the Armed Forces, including the authority to approve lists of persons to be reserved and submit them to the Ministry of Economy for decision.

The managers of a utility company caused losses of almost UAH 5 million by purchasing low-quality services. Most of the funds received by the winner of the tender they announced were transferred to the account of a fictitious company.

The Servant of the People faction will hold a meeting to discuss the dismissal of some Cabinet ministers, and tomorrow the parliament is expected to vote on personnel changes.

The Verkhovna Rada passed a law allowing for the early release of prisoners for military service during mobilization or martial law, with the exception of those convicted of corruption, premeditated murder, crimes against national security, or sexual violence.

The Verkhovna Rada approves extension of martial law and general mobilization for 90 days until August 11, with 339 and 336 MPs voting in favor, respectively.

The Parliament plans to consider a draft law to increase the salaries of civil servants of certain courts by applying appropriate regional coefficients based on the population of the locality where the court is located.

The speaker of the Ukrainian parliament has signed a decree allowing journalists to cover the activities of the parliament directly in its premises during martial law.

The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider a draft law that would criminalize electronic and communication fraud, including the unlawful use of personal data and banking information to seize property by electronic means.

The Parliament plans to impose fines of 850 to 1,700 hryvnias on parents for evading education and upbringing of young or underage children.

Ukraine celebrates the Day of Reconciliation and Victory over Nazism on May 8, instead of the Soviet Victory Day on May 9, to honor the 9 million Ukrainians who died in World War II, including 5 million civilians and 3-4 million military personnel.

Russia has put former Ukrainian MP and journalist Ihor Miroshnychenko on the wanted list for unspecified reasons under an article of the Russian Criminal Code.

The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider in the second reading a draft law aimed at improving the procedure for inspections of companies by market surveillance authorities, promoting proper quality control of non-food products and protecting businesses from corruption risks during inspections.