President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven, at which he thanked him for participating in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform and for sustainable support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Zelensky received an invitation to visit Sweden.
According to the press service of the head of state, Löfven said that the summit of this initiative is a powerful signal of the need to de-occupy Crimea both from the outside and for the Ukrainian society.
Zelensky expressed his sincere gratitude to the Swedish side for assistance in organizing an exposition of values important for Ukrainian statehood – the original Constitution of the Hetman Pylyp Orlyk of 1710 and the Hetman’s mace, which are now exhibited in Sofia Kyivska.
The Head of State and the Swedish Prime Minister discussed further interaction on the agenda of Ukraine’s relations with the EU and prospects for cooperation within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Partnership.
Security policy issues related to the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project by Russia have become separate topics for a substantive dialogue.
The parties also discussed the tense situation on the borders of Belarus with neighboring countries due to the growth of the flow of illegal migrants and the Russian exercises “West-2021”, which worsen the security in the region.
The President of Ukraine informed his interlocutor about the situation in Donbas and thanked the Swedish side for the projects implemented by the defense departments, in particular in the field of mine clearance.
In addition, Zelensky, during a discussion of the possibilities of filling bilateral relations with specific projects, invited the Swedish side to take part in the creation of a network of waste processing plants in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister of Sweden noted the progress of Ukraine in the implementation of important reforms.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the introduction of a new Ukrainian holiday – the Day of Ukrainian Statehood.
“We are starting to celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Statehood. We consider its starting point the year of the establishment of Kyiv – the capital of Kyivan Rus – Ukraine, which is for a reason called the place where everything begins,” Zelensky said during a speech at the parade in honor of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
“We will celebrate the birth of our statehood on the day of our statehood flourishing – on the day of the baptism of Kyivan Rus – Ukraine,” he said, adding that “he signs a corresponding decree today, on August 24.”
The President also said that “Ukraine is starting the process of returning to their native land outstanding Ukrainians who lived for Ukraine, fought for Ukraine and were not buried in Ukraine.”
President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) Gianni Buquicchio called for accelerating the reform of the judiciary in Ukraine, and also noted that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) should be “safeguarded at any cost.”
“The judiciary reform must be comprehensive. The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has been working on this reform in Ukraine for decades already, without real success,” Buquicchio said at the Democracy in Action: Zero Corruption Conference on Tuesday.
He stressed that the NABU must be safeguarded at any cost. “Because they have done a good job and they must continue to do their job,” the President of the Venice Commission said.
“Vetting the High Council of Justice and selecting new good members is a priority. The High Qualifications Commission is also a priority. But they two are interlinked, and I think it is much more important that the Council is vetted and reformed, in order to select good members of the High Qualifications Commission,” Buquicchio said.
According to him, the reform is also urgent, because Ukraine lacks 2,000 judges, and next year there will be another 1,700 judges who will retire by that time.
“This means that the judiciary will operate with half of its personnel. All these issues are urgent, and what I hope that the government and the parliament will do is to accelerate these reforms,” he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky offered French President Emmanuel Macron to sign a declaration of support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
“We have made a declaration that we conclude with partner countries, member states of the European Union, in which this or that country signs a declaration with us, indicating its support of Ukraine in striving to be a member of the European Union. Frankly speaking, several countries have already signed this declaration. There are countries that are now reviewing this declaration. I told the details of this declaration. I suggested that France also support Ukraine. I believe that President Macron will get acquainted with this declaration and give his answer,” Zelensky said at a briefing on the results talks with French President Macron in Paris on Friday.
Zelensky also said the Declaration on the European Perspective of Ukraine is an initiative of our state, which “does not want to wait until everything is done for us.”
“We are very proactive in Ukraine. We do not wait for everything to be done for us. We ourselves are taking concrete steps,” Zelensky said.
As reported, on March 18, a meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Lithuania took place, during which they signed a Declaration on the European perspective of Ukraine.
EMMANUEL MACRON, EUROPEAN UNION, FRANCE, PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT ZELENSKY
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called the proposal of U.S. President Joe Biden to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a third country as correct, since this dialogue could “resolve a number of issues.”
“I believe that this [Biden’s intention to meet with Putin on the territory of a third country] is correct. This is very […] timely, very important […] I think this could solve a number of issues, because there should be a dialogue between these countries. Sometimes, when such large states do not communicate, others suffer. Believe us, we understand that,” Zelensky said at a briefing following talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday.
At the same time, Zelensky said that if during the meeting the leaders of the United States and Russia raise the issue of Ukraine, which may well be relevant, then the discussion will not be “so substantive and correct.”
“It [the issue of Ukraine] will not be substantive, it will not be correct, and this will once again show that large countries are in size, they think that everything is around them, but it seems to me that the world is much larger,” the president said.
BIDEN, PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, PRESIDENT ZELENSKY, PUTIN
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky plans to visit the Lithuanian capital in 2021 to participate in a conference on reforms in Ukraine, said Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine. “We hope that the conference will take place this year. The Ukrainian government and the President’s Office are already working on this. The head of state will be happy to come to Lithuania to discuss progress in Ukrainian reforms and support for Ukraine from European partners,” the President’s Office on Tuesday quoted Zhovkva as saying who gave an interview to the Lithuanian branch of the leading news agency in the Baltic region, Baltic News Service (BNS).
He also noted that currently “preparations are underway for the fourth conference on reforms in Ukraine, which was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
According to Zhovkva, “over the past year and a half, Ukraine has shown significant progress in reforms, in particular, recently the President of the European Council Charles Michel noted the efforts of Volodymyr Zelensky in judicial and banking reforms, as well as in the agro-industrial sector.
“We count on a fair assessment of the process. And we count on help to Ukraine to continue this path of reforms,” Zhovkva stressed.
The Deputy Head of the President’s Office also focused on the process of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
He recalled that Ukraine received the status of a NATO partner with expanded capabilities and is raising the issue of providing an action plan for membership in the Alliance.
“We understand that we have to do our homework, including reforms in the security and military sector of Ukraine. We are working on this,” Zhovkva said.
He also assured that now work is underway to deepen Ukraine’s integration with the European Union.
“Much depends on Ukraine, but not everything. We will work on our ‘homework’, but we really count on the support of Brussels and the EU member states. And here, by the way, the role of Lithuania is very important, because I hope that Lithuania has unanimous support for Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO, “said the deputy head of the President’s Office.
He added that the Republic of Lithuania is not just a strategic partner for Ukraine, but a “strategic friend and brother”, and both countries have great potential for cooperation.
