President Volodymyr Zelensky said there will be “no treason” in the upcoming meeting with his Russian counterpart President Volodymyr Putin. Zelensky addressed the meeting and other issues in a 14-minute gym video he published on Facebook on Dec. 2.
In the 14-minute video, Zelensky, while walking on a treadmill, addressed the upcoming Normandy Four meeting between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine, new anti-graft legislation and the government’s attempts to lower household gas prices.
“This meeting is already a victory for Ukraine,” said Zelensky, about the Normandy Four summit scheduled to be held on Dec. 9 in Paris. “We are renewing the talks that have been frozen for three years.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky has been attempting to schedule a meeting with Putin since his inauguration on May 20.
Zelensky expected to schedule the Normandy Four meeting as early as August, however, Russia placed additional prerequisites for the meeting to take place.
Before the meeting, Ukraine was to agree to the so-called Steinmeier Formula, a peace plan promising the occupied regions self-governance after they hold local elections under Ukrainian law. Additionally, the Ukrainian army and the Russian-led militants were to disengage forces from the frontline near the towns of Zolote in Luhansk Oblast and Petrivske in Donetsk Oblast.
Ukraine successfully completed all conditions laid out in the Steinmeier Formula, though the decision wasn’t universally embraced at home. After troop withdrawals last month, over 10,000 people took to the streets protesting what they saw as a capitulation to Russia’s demands.
In his Dec. 2 video, Zelensky accused “long-forgotten” politicians of staging the protests and instigating people to take the streets.
“I’m going to be more confident during (the Normandy) meeting if I know that my country supports me,” said Zelensky.
“Some say that it’s impossible to have a dialogue with Putin, but without a dialogue we’re like on a treadmill – we are running forward, but not moving,” said Zelensky, explaining his desire to speak directly with the Russian president who initiated the war against Ukraine in 2014 that so far has claimed 13,000 lives.
Concerning corruption, the president said that this week parliament will adopt amendments to increase the powers of the Special Investigation Bureau and give the president the right to appoint and fire its head. Roman Truba, the current chief of the bureau, will be fired.
On Nov. 20, Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka said that law enforcement is investigating audio recordings that allegedly implicate Truba in wrongdoing. The recordings were leaked by an unknown source on Nov. 19 through a Telegram channel.
Additionally, Zelensky mentioned that the government was able to decrease household gas prices by 7% in 2019. “We’re working on decreasing prices even further,” said the president.
President Zelensky also mentioned that an additional Hr 200 million ($8 million) will be allocated in December to solve housing problems for Ukraine’s war veterans and internally displaced persons. According to Zelensky, around Hr 300 million ($12 million) was allocated in November, accommodating 950 families.
Zelensky also mentioned one of his campaign promises – “A country in a smartphone,” which pledges easy access to government services through mobile apps.
According to the president, Ukraine will soon introduce online driver’s license and car registration certificates.
“We already uploaded it to Google Play and AppStore,” said Zelensky.
