President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a press conference on May 20, exactly one year since he took office, to talk about the results of his first year.
Due to the pandemic, the press conference took place outdoors, in the courtyard of Mariinsky Palace in central Kyiv. Journalists were seated approximately 1.5 meter apart from each other. Because of these measures, the president’s office said, they allowed fewer media outlets than they normally would.
It was Zelensky’s second press conference as president. The first one took place in October and lasted for over 12 hours.
Here are the highlights from the May 20 three-hour press conference:
On measures to fight COVID-19 pandemic
So far, we are one of the best in the world in terms of our response to coronavirus. Because we did everything on time.
Do you know (how bad) the COVID-19 situation is in the occupied territories? I have the real numbers. We offered them humanitarian aid. They are not taking it, they say they have everything. They don’t have anything! No protective gear, no hospitals ready. I negotiated with them so they allow the Red Cross to bring humanitarian aid to them.
We presented our plan for easing the restrictions one month ago. It was a five-stage plan. Some things are changing. For example, we were planning to open kindergartens later on but the good statistics on the COVID-19 cases will allow us to do it now. We will launch public transport on May 22. We can’t launch intercity transport yet because only six oblasts have good statistics where the number of cases of infections is going down.
On helping businesses suffering from COVID-19
We are not printing money. We are not the U.S. — although our statistics are better.
Our banking system is independent but we will put pressure on it so they are less careful when giving loans (to business). We have been working for the whole year to give businesses normal loans, with interest rates of 5, 7 or 9%.
By the way — I’ve been fighting all year, with the help of the second government now, to give everyone mortgage loans for 10% annual interest. Very soon we will do it — every person in Ukraine will be eligible for a 10% mortgage.
On Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine
We restarted the Minsk negotiations. We showed that people who are representatives of (Russian-backed militants) in the Minsk process have Russian passports, that they can’t be there (in Minsk). All representatives of the occupied territory present in Minsk must be Ukrainian citizens.
We had three exchanges, and 135 Ukrainians were freed, including 75 people after the meeting with (Vladimir) Putin (in December in Paris). It’s a big victory. Now we are discussing a probable exchange after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
I haven’t had any meetings or calls with Putin (lately). Due to COVID-19, every leader is taking care of his own country now. After the pandemic we will have a Normandy meeting.
As for Putin — we have nothing else to do, we need to be talking to them and negotiating. I’m ready to talk (to Russia) in any format if it helps to speed up the end of the war. Any format — I don’t care.
I know that society is divided on whether I should talk directly to Putin. But I’m convinced that I need to be doing it. Not to replace the Minsk negotiations, but as a parallel process. There are some things that you can hear and understand only when you are tet-a-tet with a person.
(On his earlier proposed solution to end the war, “We just need to stop shooting”) It’s a complicated process. I never wanted our army to just stop shooting in response. If they are shooting at us, we will be responding. But we are not shooting first. They (militants) do what they do because they don’t know what will happen to them next. Russia is the only force that influences them. They said we are shooting at the civilians — that’s not true, we are responding and shooting at the militants. After the statement that (militant leader in Luhansk Oblast Leonid) Pasichnyk made today (about Ukraine shooting at civilians), I think that Russia needs to (restrain) them.
What they are doing, their provocations — it’s all because they don’t know what to do because of the humanitarian crisis there. They accuse us of it. But we are supplying them with water, even though they have not been paying for it for a long time.
On oligarchs
My relationship with them should be very simple. I’m ready to protect all Ukrainians working at their enterprises. I’m ready to give full independence to the Anti-Monopoly Committee. They are ready to invest in the occupied territories (after liberation).
All I can do for them is give them equal rules. Nothing else. This is my strategy. I want them to live and work in accordance with the law. They still control certain areas.
Look at the media outlets they own. I’m not in a comfy bubble here today, am I? That’s all you need to know about my relations with oligarchs. When all of their TV channels start praising me, that’s when you know there’s trouble. So far, they are all against us.
On appointing his friends to top state posts
I promised that new people will come to power. This is why our prosecutor general is new to state service. Because this is what “new people” means. I can’t find too many honest people.
On corruption scandal that involved Andriy Yermak
For me, this case is shallow. I know who created these tapes for blackmail purposes, to make me fire Yermak. I can’t tell now, because the investigation is ongoing.
No one took any money, there is nothing like that in those videos. Moreover, none of the people mentioned were appointed anywhere.
This has been planned since the summer of 2019. What is important is why it was done and who has the equipment like this (to produce the recordings with a hidden camera). The state has it — that’s who.
On his possible re-election
Honestly, I don’t think one term will be enough (to do everything). I have been saying that I will only be here for one term, but if people support me, I will think about it (re-election). I think that if an acting president by the start of the election campaign has a 10-15 percent support rating, he has no right to even participate.
On Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
In the two months of his work, I have no dissatisfaction with him so far. He is clean (from corruption accusations, shady connections).
On infrastructure
I want to be remembered as the president who built (good) roads in Ukraine. It’s important to me because, after the presidency, I’m going to be living in Ukraine. I will be using these roads.
I’m trying to find $3 billion for the bridges in our country. It’s my personal responsibility. One of them is the bridge (being constructed) in Zaporizhzhya. In two years, we will finish it. It will be one of the biggest bridges in the country. This is the big bridges program.
The number of roads we are building a year — that’s how many roads some European countries have altogether. We are a very big country.
We will build 25 sports complexes for every oblast. It will start this year. I want them to be named after our star athletes — not just the ones from the past, but modern ones.
We will have one transparent investments office that will open in September and it will be the only agency dealing with all the investments in Ukraine. Its first 18-month plan that I already approved envisions attracting $7 billion in investment.
The “Investment Nanny” project is ready, a bill is ready, the Rada will pass it (soon). It’s not only for Western investors, it’s for all investors. It’s a special VIP manager for any investor who invests $30 million or more.
On state privatization
Everything is ready for it. It will take place after the pandemic. The first object is the Dnipro Hotel (in Kyiv). It is ready. As we promised, we started with the (property) of the State Management of Affairs (that runs property for the President’s Office). We picked the objects that have a clean legal history.
Centrenergo is preparing to be privatized, too.
On the leaked Poroshenko-Biden phone calls
I don’t think it is the last phone call (of Poroshenko) we will hear. Law enforcement needs to look into this.
On SBU security agency leadership
(Head of the SBU) Ivan Bakanov isn’t afraid of anything. He owns no business. He owns a house that he has had since before working for the SBU and even before working for me. I know — and you know it -— that he is the most honest head of the SBU we have ever had. As for his professionalism, maybe he’s lacking some (experience).
On Interior Minister Arsen Avakov
Avakov isn’t my close friend. Quite the opposite — he has close friends that I‘m definitely not friends with. Is he a strong minister? Yes. His responsibility today is the case of (Pavel) Sheremet. He started it and he has to finalize it, to get a result – so that those who killed Sheremet are punished.
On how he is different from Poroshenko
I’m different from Poroshenko in every way, starting with the fact that I’m physically different. I’m an honest and decent person who really cares for this country. I’m not as great at speaking Ukrainian as Poroshenko, it’s true. But I am who I am. I respect Ukrainian language, Ukrainian people.
On medical reform
Medical reform is a reform for no one. Some things were done. But we had nothing when this challenge (the pandemic) came. We need to review the reform. We can’t have a driver of an ambulance car work for Hr 4,000-5,000 ($150-190) a month. It’s not a reform.
