Ukraine’s parliament speaker meets Icelandic counterpart and presents state awards

Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, met Iceland’s parliamentary speaker Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir at the Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, on Wednesday, mbl.is reported.

The main topic was the war in Ukraine. They also discussed the challenges of daily life during wartime, including those faced by Ukrainian children, as well as the increased intensity of Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Stefanchuk is visiting Iceland officially at Sveinbjarnardóttir’s invitation. He will be a special guest at a meeting of the speakers of the Nordic and Baltic parliaments on Thursday.

During the visit, Stefanchuk presented Sveinbjarnardóttir and Birgir Ármannsson, a former speaker of Alþingi, with a state award on behalf of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The award was the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, second class. According to a statement from Alþingi’s office, it recognised their significant contributions to strengthening cooperation between the countries, supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and defending respect for the country’s borders.