President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized the Mining and Metallurgical Combine PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) for failing to fulfill its commitments to improve the environmental situation in the region and urged to provide targeted financial support to people affected by harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
“If this program has been postponed for five years and not agreed with the citizens, I would like to ask you if you can consider some financial compensation for residents of Kryvy Rih, who have suffered for five years, to help them with treatment? I think that the municipality can help us find a list of people who, unfortunately, fell ill with cancer over the years,” he said at a meeting on the environmental situation in Kryvy Rih and Dnipropetrovsk region in Kryvy Rih on Friday.
According to Zelensky, over the past five years, an average of 25,000 people have appeared in Kryvy Rih, who have had cancer in one form or another.
ARCELORMITTAL, CRITICIZES, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, KRYVY RIH, ZELENSKY
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed turning the Chornobyl zone into one of the points of economic growth in Ukraine.
“Today I’ve signed a decree that will be the beginning of transformation of the exclusion zone into one of the growth points for new Ukraine,” he said at Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where the ceremony of transferring a new safe confinement will take place.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Ihor Bondarenko head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration.
“To appoint Bondarenko Ihor Samoilovych head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration,” according to presidential decree No. 492 of July 5.
By another decree, Zelensky dismissed Ivan Duran from the post of acting head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration.
NEW HEAD, REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION Зеленский, ZAKARPATTIA, ZELENSKY
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has approved the Regulations on the Presidential Office of Ukraine.
This is enshrined in decree No. 436/2019 of June 25. The document comes into force from the date of publication.
According to the Regulation, the Presidential Office is a permanent subsidiary body formed by the head of state in accordance with Paragraph, 28 Part 1 of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine.
The tasks of the Office include the implementation of expert analysis of political, economic, social, humanitarian and other processes taking place in Ukraine and in the world, preparation of its results for submission to the President of proposals for domestic and foreign policy; participation in the processing of proposals regarding the implementation by the President of leadership in the areas of national security and defense of Ukraine, his fulfillment of the powers of the chairman of the Council of National Security and Defense of Ukraine, monitoring the security and defense sector; the examination of the laws passed by the Verkhovna Rada, received by the head of state for signature, the preparation of proposals on the signing of laws or the use of the right of veto, etc.
The Presidential Office ensures, in the established manner, the interaction of the President with the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, law enforcement, other state bodies, local governments, associations of citizens (including political parties, trade unions), enterprises, institutions, organizations, and contributes to the effectiveness of this interaction.
Among the tasks are the preparation of drafts of constitutional motions, appeals of the President to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and proposals regarding the position of the President in matters considered by the Constitutional Court; ensuring the consideration of requests of deputies, groups of deputies and committees of the Verkhovna Rada to the President.
The Office has the power to request and receive information, documents and materials from government bodies and local government agencies, businesses, institutions and organizations of all forms of ownership and from their officials. It may engage researches and experts, and employees of central and regional executive bodies to perform works and missions and to participate in studying specific matters, including on a contractual basis.
The Office has the following staff in its structure: the head of the Office and their first deputy and deputies; the head of the Presidential Office secretariat; the first presidential aide and other presidential aides, presidential advisors, the presidential press secretary, and presidential envoys and representatives. In addition, the Office includes the president’s chancellery, the chancellery of the Presidential Office head, and several directorates and departments.
As reported earlier, Zelensky set up the Presidential Office by way of reorganizing and cutting the number of employees at the Presidential Administration of Ukraine.
Zelensky has appointed Andriy Bohdan as the chief of the Presidential Office. Zelensky issued another decree to dismiss him as the Presidential Administration head.
First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Serhiy Trofymov, Deputy Heads of the Presidential Administration Oleksiy Honcharuk, Yuriy Kostiuk, Vadym Prystaiko, Ruslan Riaboshapka, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, and Oleksiy Dneprov were appointed to similar positions in the Presidential Office.
Zelensky has repeatedly revealed plans to move from the existing Presidential Administration building on Kyiv’s Bankova Street to a new office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said about his vision of how to make Ukraine the really rich country and called on business to invest money, time and ideas in Ukraine.
“We are carefully studying the experience of countries that are successful. We understand that they, first of all, invested in education, technology and infrastructure. Ukraine will do the same. Therefore, the role of the state in the economy in the next five years will be reduced to three things: do not interfere business; to build an excellent infrastructure for business and create conditions for doing business in Ukraine was simply convenient; third, focus on education, science and technology,” he said at a meeting with the business community in Kyiv.
Zelensky said that he was not used to catching up, therefore he is looking for creative breakthrough and innovative solutions for Ukraine with his team, and will tell more about them in the near future.
The president said that “to turn from a poor country into a middle-income country is not so difficult.” “The recipes are simple, success stories are known. All these is a mandatory program for us, and we will do it in the next five years,” he said.
At the same time, Zelensky is convinced that Ukraine needs to become a “truly rich country.”
“According to the World Bank, in 1960 there were 101 countries that are developing, and only 13 of them were able to become developed rich countries. In addition, most of them did it at the expense of natural resources. Economists have a special term: “middle income trap.” Its essence is very simple: poor countries compete with cheap labor. As soon as a country receives an average level of income, competitive advantages disappear and the country ceases to develop rapidly. According to this scenario, the country almost never becomes rich, the highest level is “medium,” he explained.
“Half a year ago I decided to invest the most precious thing I have – my time – in Ukraine. I urge you to do the same: invest time, money, ideas in Ukraine. Let’s change Ukraine together!” Zelensky said, addressing business at the end of his speech.
BUSINESS, EDUCATION, INVEST, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGIES, ZELENSKY
Half of Ukrainian citizens approve of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s performance, the Sociological Group Rating said.
In presenting the findings of a public opinion poll of 2,000 respondents aged 18 and older which it conducted on June 8 to June 12, the Sociological Group Rating said it found that 49% of those polled are contented with the president’s performance, 14% are of the opposite view, and 38% have not yet formed an opinion.
The number of those having an optimistic outlook on the situation in the country has also grown, it said.
The poll found that 35% of the respondents believe Ukraine is moving in the right direction, 36% are of the opposite view, and 30% are undecided.
“The trend toward the change of the people’s sentiments for the better is continuing,” the Sociological Group Rating said.
The relatively larger shares of optimists are among the residents of southern Ukraine, younger respondents, and supporters of the Servant of the People, Power and Honor, and Holos (Voice) Parties, while the voters of the European Solidarity and Opposition Platform – For Life parties are relatively more pessimistic.
As many as 22% of the respondents approve of Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman’s performance, while 65% disapprove of it.
Nearly 90% of the respondents are dissatisfied with the Verkhovna Rada’s performance, and only 5% praised it.
The poll showed that 50% of the respondents expect President Zelensky to resolve the problem of a ceasefire in Donbas.
Another 38% expect that tariffs for housing and utilities would be reduced, 22% that tycoons’ influence on politics would be limited, 20% want social standards to increase, and 19% expect corrupt officials to be punished.
In addition, 17% expect that the immunity of parliamentarians would be abolished, 16% that the quality of medical services would be improved, 13% want more active cooperation with NATO and the European Union, 12% better cooperation with Russia, 12% stronger Ukrainian Armed Forces, and 10% the country’s unification.
