Tag: President of Ukraine

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 11 February 2022.

Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak hopes to unblock humanitarian issues at the next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in the East of Ukraine. He said this at a briefing in Berlin after a meeting of political advisers to the leaders of the Normandy format.

“We hope that the next meeting of the TCG will unblock humanitarian issues – the release of detainees, the opening of checkpoints, which have been prepared for more than a year by the Ukrainian side,” said Andriy Yermak.

According to him, it is also very important that all participants of the meeting of advisers in the Normandy format expressed their full commitment to a comprehensive ceasefire in Donbas.

The Head of the President’s Office thanked the German side for organizing these talks. He noted that the next meeting of political advisers to the leaders of the Normandy Four is to take place shortly.

“The Ukrainian party is ready for a constructive dialogue,” Andriy Yermak stressed.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 11 February 2022.

Negotiations in Berlin at the level of political advisers to the leaders of the countries participating in the Normandy format ended. Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak took part in them.

This has been the second meeting since the beginning of this year. The talks between representatives of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia lasted more than nine hours.

During the negotiations, Andriy Yermak stressed that Ukraine is consistently committed to a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict. Hence, the Ukrainian party will continue to take measures to intensify the work of all existing negotiation formats in order to facilitate the peace process.

All parties reaffirmed their willingness to continue negotiations in the Normandy format, and also agreed on the necessity to unblock the work of the Trilateral Contact Group.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda.

The Ukrainian President thanked Poland for its concrete support in strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities and resilience.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the important role of the Polish chairmanship in the OSCE in terms of ensuring a peaceful settlement in Donbas and regional security in Europe.

The parties discussed further cooperation within the new regional format Ukraine – Poland – Great Britain.

The interlocutors also paid attention to the implementation of the main foreign policy priorities of our country – the course of accession to the European Union and NATO.

The leaders of Ukraine and Poland praised the achievement of agreements on permits for international cargo transportation.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The interlocutors exchanged relevant information on diplomatic measures taken by Ukraine and the Alliance in response to threats from Russia.

The President thanked for the consolidated position of NATO member states on the need for immediate de-escalation of the situation by Russia.

He commended the Alliance’s continued commitment to an open door policy, as well as its principled support for the right of all countries to freely choose security alliances and determine their foreign policy.

In addition, the President and the Secretary General discussed the modalities of Ukraine’s participation in the NATO Summit in Madrid in June 2022 and its expected results.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 10 February 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė.

The Head of State informed the interlocutor about the current security situation along the borders and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. He also spoke about the practical steps of our state aimed at intensifying the negotiation process within the Normandy format and ensuring its effectiveness.

“It is very important that you came to support Ukraine today, during the tense situation on the borders of our country, on the borders with Europe, on the borders with Russia, on touch lines with the temporarily occupied territories of our state. We consider our relations with the Republic of Lithuania special at the level of presidents, prime ministers, states and nations. We feel this not only during the escalation period, but all the time,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Separately, the President noted Lithuania’s intention to preserve and strengthen its diplomatic mission in Ukraine.

The interlocutors discussed the implementation of our country’s strategic course towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted Lithuania’s continued support for Ukraine’s movement to the European Union and praised Vilnius’ practical efforts to recognize our country’s European perspective.

The President of Ukraine coordinated positions with the Prime Minister of Lithuania in the context of preparations for the forthcoming NATO Summit in Madrid in June 2022.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that the balanced and wise position of our state in responding to the deteriorating security situation on the borders and the likely escalation by the Russian Federation is important for the people of Ukraine, the people of European countries and even Russia.

“Ukraine is very patient, because that’s the wisdom. I think this is important not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole of Europe. And it is very important for the Russians, because the escalation by the other side depends on our patience,” the Ukrainian President said, answering journalists’ questions after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainians are defending their country because they are on their own land.

“Our patience influences provocations – when we do not respond, but behave decently,” said the President.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

Ukraine and France share a common vision of current threats and security challenges for our country, Europe and the world at large. That is why the partnership of our states in the field of security is of special importance today. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with media representatives following talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv.

“France plays an active role within the Normandy format. And we greatly appreciate the official position of Paris and the personal efforts of Mr. Emmanuel Macron to achieve peace in Ukraine – he is doing a lot for this,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the President of Ukraine, today the peace process was one of the key issues of negotiations with his French counterpart.

“We expect that in the near future, in accordance with the agreements reached during the Paris Summit in December 2019, we will be able to hold the next talks of the leaders of the Normandy Four. An important step in this direction is the intensification of dialogue at the level of political advisers. We hope that the meeting in Paris, which took place on January 26, 2022, and the upcoming talks in Berlin will bring us closer to holding the Normandy Summit,” said the President of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he and the President of France share a common vision of current threats and security challenges for our country, Europe and the world at large.

“They demand unity and new proactive approaches from European leadership. We will continue to cooperate for the deoccupation of part of the territory of Ukraine,” he stressed.

“Today, the security and economic support for Ukraine from partners, strengthening its resilience and defense capabilities is beneficial for the region as a whole and, I am sure, for all countries of the European Union,” the President added.

In this context, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the steps of solidarity on the part of France and the decision to allocate 1.2 billion euros of macro-financial assistance, which will help strengthen Ukraine’s economic stability.

The President also noted that the countries are developing cooperation not only in the security sector, but in almost all areas, so an important issue of the meeting with Emmanuel Macron was the involvement of France in joint economic and, above all, infrastructure projects. These include the implementation of an important project for drinking water treatment in Mariupol, the Donetsk region, and the reconstruction of a water supply system in the town of Popasna, the Luhansk region. Thanks to these projects, half a million Mariupol residents and more than a million residents of the Luhansk region will have access to quality drinking water, the Ukrainian President stressed.

“In general, we held meaningful, very effective talks today. I am personally grateful to Emmanuel Macron. Thank you for France’s support to Ukraine. I am convinced that our talks will give impetus to many important things. And the most important thing is the security of our state, the security of Europe,” the President summed up.

For his part, Emmanuel Macron noted the path of reforms that Ukraine has covered, as well as the restraint shown by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite the concentration of troops on Ukraine’s borders.

“France and Germany will play a mediating role in resolving the conflict in the format of the Normandy Four, in particular at the level of heads of state,” he emphasized.

The President of France noted that Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to implement the Minsk agreements, which are a path to de-escalation and lasting peace. Emmanuel Macron added that during the recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he also received confirmation of Russia’s readiness to continue implementing these agreements.

In addition, the French leader expressed his desire to restore peace on the European continent, which he had already discussed at the talks in Russia and Ukraine. According to him, in the near future it is necessary to work together on a new mechanism to guarantee security, which will ensure de-escalation and enhance security.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

Following the meeting of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, a number of bilateral documents were signed.

In the presence of the heads of state, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky and Vice President for Eurasia at Thales International S.A.S. Christoph Lanowski signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Thales International S.A.S.

In addition, CEO at “Ukroboronprom” Yuriy Husyev and Christoph Lanowski signed the Agreement on Cooperation.

The joint statement of Ukroboronprom and the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine was signed by Yuriy Husyev and Ambassador of France to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.

Acting Head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Serhiy Kruk and President of the Desautel Group Jerome Desautel signed a Joint Declaration of Intent between the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and Desautel SAS.

Board Chairman at JSC Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Kamyshin and Chairman and CEO of Alstom Henri Poupart-Lafarge signed a Memorandum of Understanding between JSC Ukrzaliznytsia and Alstom Transport SA.

During a meeting with media representatives following talks with Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the involvement of France in joint economic and, above all, infrastructure projects was an important issue in their talks.

“Today we have finalized the agreements and put into practice very important projects: the supply of 130 Alstom locomotives worth 900 million euros and the supply of 370 Desautel units of fire and rescue equipment for 300 million euros. The project on construction of patrol boats for the State Border Service, in particular in the city of Mykolaiv, is also being implemented,” the President of Ukraine said.

He also stressed that Ukraine and France will continue to develop cooperation with Airbus to establish a national air carrier.

“In addition, in the framework of military-technical cooperation between our countries, an agreement was signed between Ukroboronprom and the French company Thales. Also today, a joint statement was signed by Ukroboronprom and the French side on reforms in the defense-industrial complex of Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

The launch of the Diia City space will make Ukraine attractive for IT companies and startups, which will help our country become the largest IT hub in Europe. This was emphasized by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the third Diia Summit in Kyiv.

“We are transforming Ukraine into a country of IT companies and startups. Thanks to Diia City, the share of IT in our country’s GDP will increase from 4% to 10%, and the industry’s revenues will grow up to $ 16.5 billion. This will allow Ukraine to become the largest IT hub in Europe,” he said.

We are launching Diia City. This is one of the best tax and legal regimes on the planet, where the language of venture capital investment is spoken,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the Ukrainian government seeks to build the most convenient state in the world in terms of public services. That is why the government is currently working to ensure that talented Ukrainians and foreigners from all over the world, the technology business that is shaping the digital economy, come to work on the Ukrainian market.

“People are the most important thing in every country, and talented people are the basis of every economy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

“That’s why we want not only Ukrainian, but also foreign IT companies to become residents of Diia City. And, as far as I know, both the first and the second will join Diia City today. Well-known, leading Ukrainian and foreign companies,” the President said.

The Head of State also announced the intention to conduct an electronic census in 2023 jointly with Аррle.

“We are developing a model of electronic customs. We strive to make Ukraine a global IT hub. A leader in innovation and technology. Today it does not sound so fantastic, right? And after the launch of this initiative, it will be quite achievable,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

Diia City is a special legal and tax regime that creates favorable conditions for the development of IT business, as well as introduces a set of incentives for Ukraine to become a high-tech digital state.

Basic principles of functioning: voluntary entry, freedom of activity (all residents have the right to choose forms of cooperation with third parties), non-interference of the state, presumption of legality of residents, stability (special regime is introduced for at least 25 years), extraterritoriality – the regime will operate in any corner of the country.

Components of “Diia City”: favorable tax system – income tax of 18% or distributed profit tax of 9%, UST at the level of 22% of the minimum wage, personal income tax of 5% and military tax of 1.5%; flexible forms of cooperation with IT specialists – gig contracts that combine the benefits of freelance and social guarantees; guarantees of intellectual property protection; elements of English law that facilitate access to investment; guarantees of protection of the person and property from illegal intervention of security officers.

Joining Diia City is voluntary. The special regime will operate in parallel with the current conditions of IT development. Thanks to Diia City, IT companies will pay lower taxes, be able to build a transparent corporate structure and have better access to investment.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 February 2022.

As of today, the online service for changing the place of residence registration and polls are available on the Diia portal of public services. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech at the third Diia Summit, which is taking place in Kyiv.

“We dreamed of a state that provides citizens with quality service. For me, first of all, it’s fast and convenient. When young parents receive 10 services in 15 minutes with just one application in the maternity hospital thanks to “yeMalyatko”. It has been functioning only for two years. But today, nine out of ten Ukrainian families register the birth of a child through this service,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Also, according to him, almost a million citizens and entrepreneurs during the quarantine restrictions in a few minutes received 8 thousand hryvnias of assistance from the state through Diia. Using Diia you can pay taxes, fines, UST, submit a declaration, e-petition, apply for a subsidy or pension on your smartphone. In total, 14 million people live in “digital Ukraine”, as stated by the President.

“For two years we have been analyzing life situations where citizens interact with the state. And popular government services were made online. Today, the most popular one, the change of place of residence registration, is a matter of the past as well,” the Head of State said.

“As of today there will be no registrations, offices, passport desks, military enlistment offices and so on. You can now change your residence registration online in a few clicks. Congratulations to all. By the way, the A4 certificate, which had to be carried with the ID-passport, can also be forgotten,” he added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the “Poll” function is being launched in the Diia app today. So far, the issues are related to the capabilities of the application and the services available in it, but in the future they will relate to other issues of the state.

In the presentation video, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded that direct democracy is one of the key points of his presidential program.

“Today we are taking the first step in this direction – Diia launches the “Poll” service, the first large-scale tool of e-democracy. For millions of citizens, this is an opportunity to express their position and influence decisions for the state, an opportunity to quickly find out the opinion of people on any issues in real time and real numbers. Well, for all of us, this is actually the start of digital democracy,” the President said in a video presentation.

The Head of State noted that the first questions are not difficult, not fateful for the country and are rather a test of this function. In particular, they concern the new digital services that have now appeared in the Diia app – which is the most useful, and which should be the name of the new government program for people over the age of 60.

“Choose your version, see how e-democracy works in “Diia”, influence the development of the digital state,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged citizens.

The President noted that the digital transformation not only saves time, but also changes public administration. Proof of this is the launch of the “eSupport” program.

“In two weeks it has become the most popular service in the history of Ukraine. One thousand hryvnias for vaccinated citizens plus 500 hryvnias for a booster dose. Funds that can be spent on sports, concerts, movies, theaters, museums, books, traveling in Ukraine. Eight million Ukrainians used it. The affected business sectors received 2.3 billion hryvnias. And the whole world understood that Ukrainians are a nation that reads, because every third citizen spent these funds on books. And this is wonderful,” the President said.

The President reminded that in February 2020, when the presentation of the newly created Diia app took place, digital driver’s licenses and technical passports were available, and then it was considered a breakthrough. And today there are more than 20 documents and services in the application, and more than 50 government services, licenses and permits on the Diia portal.

“We have become the fourth country in Europe to have electronic driver’s licenses. Then it was pride. We were the first in the world to launch a digital passport that is as valid as a paper one. Then it was fantastic. We were the first to join the single digital market in Europe with COVID-certificates generated by 10 million Ukrainians. And now it’s all a habit. The habit of high-quality, fast and convenient service from the state,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As the President noted, the more difficult it is to surprise citizens every time, the more ambitious the plans and the way forward are.

“But I am sure that at the next Diia Summit, as always, we will have something to tell, something to be proud of, there will be victories that we will be able to surprise you with, and ambitious plans that will surprise you and the whole world even more. But this does not frighten us. Because we know for sure: what was called a “dream” yesterday is called “Diia” today. The main thing is to dream and act,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy summed up.

The Head of State urged: do not be afraid to dream, because digitization in Ukraine is just that.