Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov, during a meeting with OSCE PA President George Tsereteli, expressed hope that in the near future the mandate of the OSCE special monitoring mission (SMM) in Ukraine will be expanded.

Razumkov noted that Ukraine and the OSCE member states are facing great challenges regarding the end of the war in Donbas, the press service of the parliament said on Tuesday.

"We hope that in the near future the mandate of the OSCE special monitoring mission will be expanded as part of the implementation of the agreements reached during the Normandy meeting," Razumkov said.

He also added that the work of the OSCE SMM on a 24/7 basis is a very important factor in stabilizing the situation in Donbas.

The head of the Verkhovna Rada also emphasized that support for the OSCE is very important for Ukraine, since it will be difficult to stop the war in Donbas without it.

In turn, Tsereteli praised the results of efforts by the Ukrainian authorities in establishing peace in Donbas, effective communication between all institutions and assured Ukrainian parliamentarians of the full support of the OSCE PA.

"Your optimism is of high importance for us," the OSCE PA President said.