Volodomyr Zelensky and Pere Joan Pons, Kyiv, 7 October 2025KYIV, 7 October 2025 – As parliamentarians representing the world’s largest regional security organization, members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly have a huge megaphone to offer values-based support to the cause of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, OSCE PA President Pere Joan Pons said today in Kyiv.

Meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pons discussed ways to ensure that all tools are effectively utilized to support Ukraine, including through legal and political mechanisms, and that pursuit of a just peace for Ukraine remains high on the international agenda. President Pons told President Zelensky that for more than a decade, Ukraine has been the number one priority for the OSCE PA, with no other issue more attention, urgency, or unity – and that it will continue to do so.

“It is important to understand that although we are not a military organization, we are able to help mobilize political support and economic support, as well as rally the social support from our countries and the military support from our governments,” President Pons said today. “The OSCE PA can and must be a catalyst for real change.”

In meetings with Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the sides exchanged views on Ukraine’s priorities and urgent needs in the context of Russia’s war of aggression. Pons emphasized that OSCE parliamentarians will continue to intensify support in every corner, including in their national parliaments, and will also reinforce international support for the return of abducted Ukrainian children.

Also participating in the meetings were OSCE PA Special Representative on Youth Engagement Lucija Tacer (Slovenia) and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella. The visit was the first official presidential visit by Pons since being elected in July.

Pere Joan Pons addresses the Verkhovna Rada, Kyiv, 7 October 2025One of the top concerns during the discussions was the Russian abductions and deportations of Ukrainian children, with support expressed for joining the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. The general need for justice and accountability was also stressed, with the sides agreeing that there is a need for an international tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression. Support was also expressed for the upcoming Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform, with President Pons stressing the need to maintain the international consensus that Crimea is Ukraine.

Earlier today, President Pons addressed the Verkhovna Rada, assuring the Ukrainian parliamentarians of the OSCE PA’s continued support. “As President of an Assembly representing 323 parliamentarians and 57 participating States, I say with confidence: We are united in this fight — because your fight is our fight,” Pons said.

“You defend the universal values we all hold dear,” he added. “You stand against an aggressor who shows no respect for those values, nor for international law, nor for the Geneva Conventions, nor for democracy. Our democracy is first and foremost defended in Donetsk in Mariupol, in Luhansk, in Zaporizhzhia. If you fail, we will fail.”

President Pons’s visit to Ukraine continues Wednesday.

For photos of the visit, please visit the OSCE PA’s Flickr page.

The full text of President Pons’s address to the Rada is available here.

His comments at a press conference are available here.