Following the start of Russia’s invasion, parliamentary diplomacy has become one of the key channels of Ukraine’s foreign policy advocacy. Whereas inter-parliamentary cooperation had previously been unsystematic and unstructured and was perceived as parliamentary tourism rather than an instrument for advancing national interests, since 2022, the voice of the Verkhovna Rada has carried significantly greater weight. MPs have substantially broadened the range of platforms on which they appear and the geography of their presence, and have improved coordination — both internally and with other foreign policy actors.
The Agency for Legislative Initiatives is publishing the first comprehensive account of how the inter-parliamentary relations groups of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine have operated under conditions of full-scale war and amid the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy.
The study draws on 17 semi-structured interviews with the heads and active members of these groups, Ukraine’s Ambassador to an EU member state, and representatives of the parliaments of partner countries.
Who Should Read the Study
The study will be of value to MPs as a basis for reflection on parliamentary diplomacy and its potential; to future convocations as a guide to developing and institutionalising this form of cooperation; and to all those researching parliamentarism, foreign policy and Ukraine’s path to the EU.
Documenting and analysing this experience is a way to preserve institutional memory and to place parliamentary diplomacy on a more sustainable footing for future convocations.
This study was compiled with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
