In an hour-long address to lawmakers on Oct. 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky boasted about his administration’s accomplishments, sneered at critics and political opponents and made more promises to the public.
The president spent much of the speech recounting past achievements of his 1.5 years in office, but did not set any specific legislative goals for the parliament, where his party holds 246 seats, a majority unprecedented in Ukraine’s independent history.
During his speech, the president outlined several priorities for his domestic and foreign policy agenda. They included:
- economic development in the war-torn Donbas region;
- the construction of two military bases on the Black Sea;
- raising the salaries for medical workers, teachers and scientists;
- establishing an international platform for the de-occupation of Crimea;
- boosting Ukraine’s military capacities on land, air, sea and cyberspace;
- giving power to the people through referendums;
- supporting businesses;
- carrying on with his national infrastructure project;
- and continuing work with international partners and lenders.
However, Zelensky spoke little of fighting the coronavirus pandemic and alleviating the economic and social woes it has brought to the country, despite Ukraine experiencing a rapid increase in new cases, deaths and hospital admissions.
“All crises pass,” Zelensky said. “We will get out of this crisis stronger.”
Other important issues played only a peripheral role in his speech — specifically, the battle against corruption and Ukraine’s troubled cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Reformers and Ukraine’s international partners are increasingly worried about threats to the independence of the country’s anti-corruption agencies and central bank.
This has disrupted the $5-billion aid deal the government signed with the IMF in June. Ukraine has received only the first $2.1-billion tranche. On Sept. 24, deputy National Bank governor Dmytro Solohub said that Ukraine had lost the opportunity to receive two more tranches before the end of 2020.
An additional 1.2 billion euros from the European Union are conditioned on Ukraine working constructively with the IMF.
One member of the European parliament even said that Ukraine’s visa-free regime with the EU could be suspended if the country doesn’t fulfill its commitments. While Josep Borrell, EU representative for foreign affairs, later refuted this information, the rumors persisted.
“Another clear message: Nothing threatens Ukraine’s visa-free regime with Europe,” Zelensky said from the parliament tribune on Oct. 20. “The same can be said for cooperation with the IMF, which we continue, as well as with the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.”
Zelensky stressed that he has zero tolerance for corruption and called on the parliament to focus on its anti-corruption strategy.
“I don’t have a right to interfere with the work of law enforcement bodies countering corruption, but I can assess it. My assessment is unsatisfactory,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s appointee, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova has been criticized for failing to prosecute corrupt officials and even blocking corruption cases against infamous Judge Pavlo Vovk and Servant of the People lawmaker Oleksandr Yurchenko, who is suspected of bribery.
COVID-19
Zelensky began his speech by touting the government’s response at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: promptly imposing a strict lockdown, developing the state laboratory network and purchasing medical supplies. He said that Ukraine has already made arrangements to receive supplies of an eventual COVID-19 vaccine and asked lawmakers to give a round of applause for medical workers battling the pandemic.
“The fight against COVID-19 continues. We are doing everything to overcome it, but we need the help of the people,” the president said, calling on the public to wear masks and follow health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.
Ukraine has nearly 173,788 confirmed active coronavirus cases as of Oct. 20. This number increased 15-fold from 11,748 active cases on June 15, when Ukraine lifted most quarantine restrictions, resumed international travel and reopened its borders.
Currently, Ukraine’s health authorities report from 5,000 to over 6,000 new cases daily. A total of 5,786 people in Ukraine have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. In some regions, hospitals designated for coronavirus patients have reached their full capacity.
A day earlier, on Oct. 19, Zelensky told religious leaders that Ukraine will have to reimpose the lockdown if daily COVID-19 cases surpass 9,500.
Donbas and military
During his speech, Zelensky also spoke about his plan to create favorable conditions for business in the Ukrainian-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, including tax and customs preferences and arbitration conducted according to international standards.
The president said 120 lawmakers from his Servant of the People party will visit the Donbas front line on Oct. 21. Since July 27, when both Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed militants committed to freeze hostilities, the region has seen the longest continuous ceasefire since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2014, Zelensky said.
Nonetheless, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission still records ceasefire violations, although they are fewer in number than before July 27.
Zelensky also promised to bring Crimea, which is formally not included in peace talks with Russia, onto the international agenda. His so-called Crimean Platform aims to defend the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and advocate for the de-occupation of Crimea with the support of the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Canada.
The president accused his opponents of lying that he is unpatriotic and pledged to increase Ukraine’s defense budget, bolster the army and continue cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as its newest Enhanced Opportunities Partner.
Zelensky boasted about the military aid his office had secured from the United States and the U.K. for the Ukrainian army and navy.
He said that Ukraine and Turkey will jointly manufacture drones, engines and aerial defense systems. At his last meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 16, the two leaders signed agreements to deepen defense cooperation.
Zelensky also announced the construction of two military bases on the Black Sea.
At the same time, Zelensky said that those who ceded Crimea in 2014 without a single gunshot should be held accountable.
“It is not a question of revenge, but of justice. Society needs answers. The absence of justice and answers leads to a lack of trust of those in power,” Zelensky said.
It was not the only time Zelensky referred to his predecessors and political opponents. He directed a number of mocking remarks at former President Petro Poroshenko and pro-Russian lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, albeit without naming them.
Referendum
Zelensky again promised to give the Ukrainian people a direct say in important state decisions through referendums and tools of direct democracy. A draft law on referendums is currently awaiting its second reading in parliament.
“The people’s voices should matter not only during the elections,” Zelensky said.
The president’s address to the parliament took place five days before local elections on Oct. 25. During the vote, Zelensky will conduct a nationwide poll consisting of five questions, which some view as a test run for a future plebiscite.
Zelensky also said that, during the next presidential elections, Ukrainians should be able to vote through the internet, part of his ambitious plan to move the country’s cumbersome paper bureaucracy online and on smartphones.
