(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) Ukraine’s parliamentary speaker visited Capitol Hill making the case to US lawmakers that tougher sanctions enforcement remains central to Kyiv’s effort to blunt Russia’s war as it grinds toward a fifth year. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, was in Washington as part of Ukraine Week 2026, holding meetings with senior members of Congress as Kyiv seeks to sustain US political support nearly five years into Russia’s full-scale invasion. Stefanchuk on February 6 met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other officials to discuss sanctions, financial assistance, and military support for Ukraine. He also held talks earlier in the week with the Senate Budget Committee chairman, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, whose bipartisan sanctions proposal has yet to advance in Congress. “Sanctions are extremely important when we are talking about ending this war,” Stefanchuk told RFE/RL in an interview through an interpreter. He said sanctions pressure must limit Russia’s ability to finance its military campaign and close loopholes that allow Moscow to bypass existing restrictions.
Ukraine’s Parliament Speaker Makes Sanctions Case On Capitol Hill, Warns Against Prolonged Talks
