President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky believes that economic and geopolitical relations between Ukraine and the United States are at a good level, and they need to be improved without getting involved in internal political processes. “For me, good relations with the United States, which were different at different times, were important. I believe that the elections [in the United States] is a purely political issue, and certainly not the issue of Ukraine, but of the United States. Their president, their people, choose whom you want, we will support your choice,” he said in an interview with Israeli Channel 9.
Zelensky noted that when “some kind of story” began to develop after his telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump in September, he did everything possible to prevent Ukraine from being drawn into this political issue.
“Because only economic and geopolitical relations are important between the countries that respect each other, regardless of nationality, religion, breadth, importance, availability of nuclear weapons. And I believe that in these two areas, economics and geopolitics, everything is good in our relations with the United States. This “everything is normal” needs to be improved, but certainly not worsened,” he stressed.
According to information on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on December 27 the document was returned with the signature of the president.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada adopted as a whole bill No. 2240 on settling the issue of amber extraction, which provides for the introduction of uniform exploration permits with the right to produce amber for a period of five years on plots of up to 10 hectares through ProZorro electronic auctions.
This decision was supported by 279 MPs with the quorum being 226 votes.
According to the bill, access to amber deposits will be regulated by establishing the right of land easements and defining separate Article 971 of the Land Code for exploration and mining on disturbed lands.
In addition, the document introduces criminal liability for illegal mining and administrative liability for violation of mining requirements, as well as toughens liability for non-compliance with land reclamation requirements and the obligation to compensate for losses incurred.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that by the end of this year the ambulance fleet in the country would be replenished with 500 new ones, and the goal is to ensure that from 2020 there is no such vehicles older than six years.
“Until the end of this year, we will buy 500 ambulances. The task for the next year is not to have a single ambulance vehicle that is older than six years,” he said in a video message to Ukrainians about the success, victories, plans and failures of the authorities over the week recorded during the president’s walk through the streets of Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting with top managers of the government and lawmakers has set a task to cut budget expenses on maintenance of officials by 10%. “We held a meeting to prepare the 2020 national budget for second reading. I listened to the Minister of Finance on the main indicators. I set the task to reduce national budget spending on officials for the next year by 10%,” Zelensky said in his Telegram channel on Friday.
The president said that this would save money and allow channeling funds to socially important budget items.
“This reduction should not affect teachers and doctors, those on whom the future of Ukraine depends,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is trying to find a fruitful friendly format for relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without damaging Ukraine’s interests.
“I don’t think that the IMF should impose any other conditions other than economic ones. Is this happening? Not really. I think that we need to try to find the right contact with everyone, friendly contact, a profitable one without losing ourselves,” Zelensky said during a press marathon with journalists in Kyiv on Thursday.
“But at any moment you know what can be done. Just stand up and hit the table with your fist. Dialogue does not start from this, but it’s where dialogue can end,” he said.
Zelensky noted that the IMF “is more about money,” and he is “more about emotions” and thinks dialogue should begin with the latter.
The issue of building airports is a priority for 2020, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We will build an airport in Dnipro. We are not postponing anything: we will build airports in 2020. And not only in Dnipro,” he said during a press marathon in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to the head of state, funds for the construction of an airport in Dnipro may not be available in the current draft national budget, since the document has not yet been finalized and all amendments have not been made to it.
“We agreed that we are one team, and we will discuss the final budget together with the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister. They have not yet come to me with the final budget,” Zelensky said.
The president also said that a report from an independent commission on the construction of a bridge in Dnipro was almost ready. In a week, he plans to get it and consider it, after which he will be ready to talk about this construction project with Dnipro City Mayor Borys Filatov.
