The president of the National Council, Irène Kälin (Green Party, AG), led a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to Kyiv. There, she was received by her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan Stefančuk.

The president of the National Council travelled to Kyiv on Wednesday, 27 April 2022, accompanied by fellow parliamentarians Roger Nordmann (SP, VD), Nik Gugger (EVP, ZH) and Yves Nidegger (SVP, GE) and Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine, Claude Wild. This visit was organised at the invitation of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefančuk

Along with two other delegations led by the presidents of the parliaments of North Macedonia and Romania, Irène Kälin - accompanied by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefančuk - visited the House of Culture destroyed by the bombings in Irpin as well as the Hostomel airport, which was also hit by Russian attacks.

During talks at the seat of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefančuk thanked the President of the National Council for accepting his invitation. For her part, Irène Kälin expressed her solidarity with the Ukrainian people: ‘I wish to express the solidarity that I witness in my country every day. As a politician, I want to demonstrate that we stand unconditionally on the side of international law and humanitarian tradition’.

With regard to Switzerland's support and commitment to Ukraine, she emphasised the fact that Switzerland had not halted its cooperation programmes in the country as a result of the war, opting instead to maintain existing levels of funding and allocate additional resources for humanitarian aid. At the same time, the long-standing sectoral programmes were made more flexible in order to adapt to the current situation and needs in Ukraine.

The President of the National Council also attended a meeting held between the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. At this meeting, participants discussed the functioning of the state during wartime and plans to rebuild Ukraine.

In August 2021, the then president of the National Council, Andreas Aebi (SVP, BE) made an official visit to the Stanytsia Luhanska entry–exit crossing point in the Donbass region and represented the Swiss government at the high-level Crimea Platform meeting held in Kyiv.

Switzerland and Ukraine have maintained diplomatic ties since Ukraine declared its independence in December 1991. Switzerland supports the reform process in Ukraine and the search for a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict with Russia. The two countries maintain ongoing dialogue on how to achieve stability and prosperity in Ukraine through technical cooperation, peace policy, economic cooperation and humanitarian aid.

President of the National Council, Irène Kälin and her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan StefančukPresident of the National Council, Irène Kälin and her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan Stefančuk

President of the National Council, Irène Kälin during her visit to HostomelPresident of the National Council, Irène Kälin during her visit to Hostomel

President of the National Council, Irène Kälin during her visit to IrpinPresident of the National Council, Irène Kälin during her visit to Irpin

President of the National Council, Irène Kälin speaking with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr ZelenskyyPresident of the National Council, Irène Kälin speaking with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy