Parliament speaker Stefanchuk blocks Poroshenko’s US trip to international security conference, party says

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk has blocked a planned international trip by European Solidarity leader Petro Poroshenko to the United States, the party said in a statement on April 2.

Poroshenko had been scheduled to attend and speak at the annual international security conference titled "Challenges in the Global Political Landscape – How to Strengthen Democracy," held in Florida.

The event brings together center-right political forces affiliated with the International Democracy Union (IDU), including the U.S. Republican Party, one of its founding members. European Solidarity said Poroshenko planned to meet with members of U.S. President Donald Trump's team during the conference at Mar-a-Lago.

The meetings were intended to focus on strategies for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, strengthening Ukraine’s defense, and ensuring the country’s political, democratic, and economic resilience.

European Solidarity called the blocked trip a violation of democratic principles, accusing Stefanchuk of obstructing opposition activity and undermining parliamentary diplomacy. The party said the decision contradicted the values of multi-party pluralism and weakened Ukraine’s institutional democracy during a critical time.

Stefanchuk responded that the travel request was submitted "last night with the demand to send the MP abroad the very next morning," adding that official trips are allowed only within the framework of interparliamentary activity. He dismissed the event as "conference tourism with a side of self-promotion," saying it had "nothing to do with official parliamentary work."

Poroshenko and his party have also called on the Verkhovna Rada to appeal to the U.S. Congress for a new resolution reaffirming bipartisan support for Ukraine. The proposed resolution would include guarantees of continued military and financial assistance, as well as expanded sanctions against Russia.

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The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova