Trips of people’s deputies abroad during the war are a topic that repeatedly causes a wave of public indignation. When the country lives in a mode of economy, and every hour of work is important, some parliamentarians choose not law-making activities, but international measures of dubious practical utility. Another scandal broke out after the deputies, instead of working in the parliament, went to the USA to participate in the Prayer Breakfast. At a time when the country needs effective solutions and clear legislative work, some elected officials prefer events that are more like social gatherings than diplomatic missions.
It would seem that under the conditions of war, every politician should be as focused as possible on the country’s problems. But the reality is that for many deputies, foreign business trips have become something like personal breaks in a “full political schedule.” This raises a natural question: why do those who should be working for the voters choose to travel internationally, leaving the parliament half-empty? And most importantly, what real results for Ukraine do such voyages bring?
National Prayer Breakfast in Washington
The National Prayer Breakfast in the US is not just a ritual event or a formal gathering of high officials. Every year, it turns into a kind of political and religious arena, where the interests of statesmen, leaders of religious communities, businessmen and public activists intersect. Here they not only pray, but also conduct strategic negotiations, establish contacts and form unofficial alliances. Moreover, the event, which began as an exclusively domestic American format, has long since gone beyond the borders of the United States. Now, representatives of political elites from all over the world are eager to join it, because it is a great opportunity to be in the spotlight, find allies and use informal agreements to advance their own interests. Participants get a chance not only to emphasize their commitment to spiritual values, but also to influence the international agenda.
This year, this event gathered more than 2,500 participants from 120 countries. Politicians, religious figures, businessmen and social activists gathered in the US capital to discuss global issues in the context of spirituality and religious values. The event had a special significance in the context of the current geopolitical tension, because the war in Ukraine, the issue of religious freedom and the political situation in the USA became the key topics of discussion.
It should be noted that the presence of Donald Trump made the breakfast particularly resonant. The US president used the event’s platform to make another political statement, stressing his desire to end the war in Ukraine and criticizing the Joe Biden administration for its persecution of religious activists who oppose abortion. Trump also focused on the situation in the Middle East and issues of religious life, emphasizing the importance of “eradicating anti-Christian prejudice.” At the same time, he announced the creation of a commission on freedom of religion, which found support among the conservative part of the audience, but at the same time caused criticism from Democrats, who emphasized the need to maintain a balance between religious beliefs and state politicians.
The breakfast program was built around the message of unity, which sounded in the speeches of the presenters – a Catholic Democrat and a Protestant Republican. Political differences, in their opinion, should not separate people, because “Christ unites us, and each of us has the same color of blood.” This statement was intended to emphasize the need for joint efforts to solve global problems, despite differences of opinion.
One of the most controversial moments of the event was the presence of Russian pastors, who again took part in the breakfast for the first time in many years. This caused the indignation of the Ukrainian delegation, which openly expressed its protest, emphasizing the fact of persecution of religious communities in the territories occupied by Russia. In addition, the protest action near the Hilton Hotel, where the breakfast was held, once again highlighted the difference in approaches to religious freedom issues between Ukrainian and Russian representatives.
This year, Ukraine was represented more powerfully than ever at the event. The largest Ukrainian delegation in history, consisting of more than a hundred representatives of various fields, arrived at the National Prayer Breakfast. Its members included pastors, politicians, military chaplains, clergy, as well as public figures and parliamentarians. The mission of the delegation was a noble one – to convey to world leaders that the war in Ukraine is not only a matter of territorial integrity, but also a struggle for fundamental human rights. In addition, as the delegates say, they tried to draw attention to Russia’s systematic violations of religious rights and prove that supporting Ukraine should remain one of the priorities of the West.
Zelenskyi and Stefanchuk about the trip of people’s deputies
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi made a harsh statement about the people’s deputies who, instead of working in the parliament, went to the United States to participate in the National Prayer Breakfast. At the press conference after the meeting with the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Odile Renaud-Basso, he emphasized that the parliament should work for the benefit of the voters, and not engage in international business trips. He emphasized that the issue is not in the United States, but “in the permanent business trips of people’s deputies, who should instead work for the people who elected them.”
“Of course, it is very important when half of the Ukrainian parliament is at the prayer breakfast. Not in Kherson, not in Kharkiv region, not in Zaporizhzhia, not in Sumy. You can say what the Kursk operation is, you can fast your posts about the number of victims, but go with such a large number to the prayer breakfast…”, – said the president.
However, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk promptly responded to the president’s words, clarifying on the sidelines of the “Ukraine’s Accession to the EU: Formation of a Transformational Agenda” conference that not half of the deputies flew to the United States for the Prayer Breakfast, but only 37 people’s elected representatives. According to him, the trip was not for entertainment, but had a clear political goal – restarting relations with a strategic partner, which is the USA.
“And we do it systematically at all levels, at absolutely all levels. Including at the level of restoring our relations with the US Congress and Senate. And that is why the large delegation, it seems, consists of 37 people, among whom half are from the opposition and half represent, let’s say, the monomajority.” Stefanchuk noted.
At the same time, the speaker emphasized that the trip was not financed from the state budget – the deputies paid for it themselves. According to him, the participation of elected officials in the Prayer Breakfast was part of wider diplomatic work, in particular establishing contacts with American senators and congressmen.
In turn, people’s deputies demonstrated their trip abroad with great pride, massively publishing posts on Facebook, as if participating in the Prayer Breakfast in the USA was more important than working in the Ukrainian parliament. For example, the representative of “Servant of the People” Oleksiy Ustenko emphasized that this visit will give an opportunity informally, “without cameras and protocols on the sidelines”, to convey to American colleagues the opinion that the war in Ukraine is a matter of global security.
People’s deputy Pavlo Frolov is convinced that the visit to the USA is an important step for strengthening cooperation between Ukrainian and American institutions. According to him, within the “Ukrainian Week”, which lasts from February 3 to 8, the delegation from Ukraine will have meetings with the co-chairs of the Ukrainian congressional caucus, senators, congressmen and representatives of the US State Department.
Non-factional deputy Oksana Savchuk explained her participation in the event by the need to build personal contacts and expand international ties, which, according to her, happens “through joint prayer to God.”
Dmytro Razumkov was among the Ukrainian politicians present at the event. In his post on Facebook, he noted that such meetings are not just official speeches, but first of all frank communication with people who support Ukraine.
Political tourism instead of work: “diplomacy” without results
Ukrainians were outraged by the way people’s deputies flaunted their trip to the Prayer Breakfast in the USA, as if it was some kind of outstanding diplomatic mission, and not just another political tourism at someone else’s expense. This is quite natural: the country is waging a war, it needs quick and critical decisions, not just another selfie against the background of international events. While the people give their last strength at the front and in the rear, their “servants” hang out at foreign events, talking about the need for unity and support, but in no way providing it with actions. At the same time, it is not clear how they carried out their mission – their speeches and reports are nowhere to be seen. As always, many loud but empty words about “cooperation” and “international relations” are heard from the mouths of politicians, which remain only slogans.
However, this story is not limited to the Prayer Breakfast. Ukrainian deputies long ago turned trips to international forums into fashionable political hangouts, solving their own issues, growing the connections they needed. It is only worth mentioning how Ukrainian politicians en masse go to the economic forum in Davos – another place where pathetic speeches and endless “meetings behind closed doors” did not produce any concrete results. Likewise, other international events, round tables and diplomatic forums: what really changed after them? After all these speeches, did new systemic solutions appear that improved the situation in the country? Instead, deputy tours continue, photo reports are replenished, and the Verkhovna Rada continues to work in the “who’s left” mode.
In addition, journalists have repeatedly published lists of deputies who do not appear in the Verkhovna Rada for months, but continue to receive salaries. For example, how did it happen is known from the investigation of Bihus.info, Serhiy Shakhov from the “Trust” party has not come to work at all since December 2022, and since 2023 he has been wanted for hiding 88 million hryvnias in declarations. However, this does not prevent him from maintaining the status of a deputy.
Not far behind is Stepan Ivakhiv, one of the founders of the Continuum group of companies, who explained that he simply does not want to go to the Rada, because he “doesn’t like” this job. The last time he voted in the parliament was in the summer of 2023, but this did not prevent him from remaining the first deputy chairman of the committee on environmental policy.
Ihor Palitsa, a representative of the “For the Future” party, does not even hide the fact that he simply does not want to sit next to the deputies of the former OPZZ, so he ignores parliamentary sessions. But Yaroslav Dubnevich, who is wanted internationally, simply disappeared from the parliament, but he is still officially a people’s deputy. At the same time, his family runs a business and owns real estate in Slovakia.
Another people’s elected official – Oleksandr Kovalev – simply left for Spain, explaining it because of his son’s illness. In half a year, he missed 70% of the meetings of the Verkhovna Rada, but did not lose his deputy mandate and did not give up all the related privileges.
And that’s not all. The list of “absent for good reasons” includes people’s deputies who have open criminal cases, are suspected of treason, and are involved in numerous scandals. But this does not stop them from an active social life. Thus, at least 54 people’s deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of the 9th convocation became participants in criminal proceedings and were suspected of committing crimes, according to NABU. This means that every eighth parliamentarian is under investigation. At the same time, the SBI is investigating 19 deputies, who were also officially charged with suspicion. And this is only part of the cases, not taking into account the investigations conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General and other law enforcement agencies.
As you can see, this is our parliament. Political tourism was not an exception for Ukrainian deputies, but a regular thing, even during the war. They fly to international forums, prayer breakfasts and “important meetings”, but all this does not give the country anything useful, except for beautiful photos of parliamentarians on social networks. While the future of Ukraine is being decided at the front, the Verkhovna Rada chronically lacks votes to make critically important decisions.
The country lives in the mode of survival, and its deputies – in the mode of international trips, where the main result of their “work” is another post on Facebook and the assurance that “everything is under control.” They are very satisfied with their lives, they are doing well. And it is very unfortunate that the war did not teach them responsibility, did not force them to work more efficiently, but only added new excuses for running away from the parliament. And as long as they “establish contacts”, here in Ukraine, people die not for diplomatic breakfasts, but for real changes, which these politicians do not want and are not able to provide.
