"Based on the relationship that exists between President Zelenskyy and President Trump, based on the well-established interaction with both major parties in the United States, I think we should continue to work at the same intensive pace to ensure that the plans we have and the tasks our country faces (primarily the situation at the front) are corrected as soon as possible with the help of our main ally," Korniyenko said.
According to the Vice Speaker, such intensification will primarily concern military cooperation and will be carried out through the President and official diplomacy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But it will also involve "all levels of interaction" - primarily cultural and parliamentary diplomacy.
"I am sure that political delegations from the parliament will soon go to the United States. They will be just as multi-party as they have been many times before, and we will work to ensure that the new members of both chambers have contact with the MPs of the Verkhovna Rada of the ninth convocation. We conveyed all the information to our new colleagues who have not yet been to Congress and strengthened ties with those with whom we already have good cooperation. I am sure that their delegations will come here. This is about processes.
The result is to maximise the level of provision of everything we need. Because we understand that the lack of resources greatly affects the situation at the front," Korniyenko said. The US assistance is very important for victory, the speaker added.
At the same time, he stressed that cooperation, including in the implementation of the Victory Plan, should be strengthened without waiting for the official inauguration of the newly elected US President on 20 January 2025.
"We have no time to wait. We have to do everything we can to not delay this. We need to ensure that both incumbent President Biden and his administration act in accordance with the decisions made earlier, which were also not easy. We are out of time. The guys and girls in the southwest [where the situation at the front is the most difficult] don't have it," the First Deputy Speaker added.
He also commented on the thesis of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, who claimed that he could stop the war in 24 hours:
"For some people, for some settlements, we simply do not have 24 hours. This also needs to be understood and communicated by our partners as far as possible. Everyone who is in contact should get involved to build this network of connections with the new government as quickly as possible. And try to convey to them that these settlements are not just some unknown names to them. That we did not just name the village New York for fun. It's a great story, it's a place where people live, and we wanted it to be Ukraine, for people to return to their homes," Korniyenko said.
He stressed that he understands that Republicans are more pragmatic and need economic incentives, but responsible politicians cannot ignore the importance of human lives.
"We must not forget that these are families, people, history, and this is also important for tomorrow... Unfortunately, Ukraine is paying for this with people's lives, with great economic destruction. And, unfortunately, the security of Europe will still depend on the United States, no matter how things turn out. And Ukraine is a very important piece of the puzzle in this story," the MP said.
Regarding additional incentives that Ukraine can offer to its partners to stimulate their assistance, Korniyenko recalled that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Donald Trump with a Victory Plan for Ukraine, which includes military, economic, geopolitical/security and "very substantive proposals", while he was still campaigning.
"When we speak in the context of values and democracy, and we are fighting for values and democracy, these arguments have already been voiced. Instead, the arguments that Ukraine now has the largest infantry in Europe and that this infantry can then be NATO infantry and defend the eastern flank - this, in my opinion, was first publicly presented on the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada.
Similarly, when we talk about Ukraine's strategic resources, which, God forbid, may now fall into the hands of not just the aggressor country, but the axis of aggressor countries and be used to produce anything. We are talking about deposits of minerals in Ukraine, the Ukrainian gas transmission system, which is unique, and it is now one of the guarantors of Europe's energy security. And in the future, this can be our trump card in joining the EU in the economy, because we cannot remain a raw material country when we join the EU, it is unlikely. These are all proposals that, I think, will add economic motives," Korniyenko said.
He also noted the interest of American business in Ukraine.
"Speaking of “think globally, do locally”, just a couple of weeks ago I met for the second or third time with a delegation of manufacturers of various weapons and weapons from Arizona. We have very good cooperation. One of the representatives, Lindy Smith, a member of the Supervisory Board of Ukroboronprom, brings delegations to us. These are, let's say, ordinary American businessmen. Some of them make drones, some train the troops, some make some equipment. They were all interested in doing something together here.
It is clear that they have questions for politicians, which is why they are meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. Again, the rule of law, anti-corruption... We are joining the EU - for them, this is a signal that something is changing. Because they know that the EU countries do not have all the things that are said about Ukraine. I think we should develop horizontal cooperation in this area as well. Representatives of both existing American business and large Ukrainian business should feel more secure in terms of investment, enforcement of court decisions, business climate, the anti-corruption system, etc.", said the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
He also believes that the change of power in the US [along with the presidential elections, there were also elections to the Senate and House of Representatives, where Republicans also won] will not significantly affect the decision-making mechanism.
"We remember all the drama of the last package [of aid for Ukraine]. Regardless of who had the majority/minority, procedurally, the minority can do just as much in Congress. As for this legendary deep state, we also understand that it will be difficult to change thousands of officials in a day. I don't know how the civil service is organised in the US, but it would be impossible to do it here without a special law. That is why this balance check will remain in place. Yes, he may change the high-level staffers, the top level, it's part of the culture, but I think we will maintain our ties.
Also, we know how institutions work: they have been formed over years, some for centuries. This is on the side of maintaining the stability of the country's course. It's just that there is a change of team, a change of focus. Perhaps there are deeper processes involved somewhere. But I think that the support of the American people, which has already been received, we should be grateful for it. We should not forget about it. Because without this support, we would not have survived for sure. And now it's important to look for additional arguments, including economic ones, including reforms, to further our clear message: that Ukraine is fighting for itself, for democracy. And we hope that the aid packages will be accelerated, strengthened and filled with more content," the First Deputy Speaker concluded.
