Poroshenko Press Conference: Highlights
The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at a press conference on Friday, June 3, commented on when Ukrainians will be able to go to the EU without visas, whether his son plans to become president, about nepotism, the role of Medvedchuk in the liberation of prisoners and about the domestic front.
On the visa-free regime
"The only thing that we are still discussing is when it will be implemented. We do our best in order to the European Parliament and the European Council to carry this over for consideration till summer. It is possible, unfortunately, that it could happen in September."
On the offshore scandal
"There was no offshore scandal. It was an objective journalistic investigation that found out several facts."
"The accounts weren’t opened, the money wasn’t derived. Every penny is and will be taxable. Assets sale will be held in Ukraine, and all taxes are paid in Ukraine."
About Medvedchuk
"Victor Medvedchuk has only one function in the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine — the liberation of the prisoners in Russia and in the temporary occupied territories."
"Was he involved in the liberation of Nadiya Savchenko? Yes. He coordinated twice the specific actions with the Russian side. But the decision was taken during my telephone conversation with Putin. He [Ed.: Medvedchuk] managed technical issues."
"Viktor Medvedchuk is not a member of the Trilateral Contact Group, he is a member of the subgroup on the Humanitarian Issues. He takes part in the meetings in format of subgroups."
On nepotism
"Lutsenko is not a godfather of my child. The Minister (Stets) — yes."
"Do you have pretensions to Lutsenko as a prosecutor? Express them. But I believe that the situation in the Prosecutor's General Office has rapidly changed over the last week. Including appointments of Mr. Lutsenko, which I haven’t coordinated and not aware of them, but they are acceptable to me. This makes us differ substantially."
About his son
"My son is not going to become neither President nor PM. I'm not sure he wants to be an MP for the second time. But he is an independent responsible adult man."
"My son won fairly in a majority constituency."
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On deoligarchisation
"A significant number of enterprises, which were ruled by oligarchs, starting from "Ukrainian Railways" (Ukrzaliznytsia) and finishing with "Ukrposhta", eitehr have a contest to appoint new top-management right now, or such a contest comes to an end. There come independent new leaders."
"We don’t buy gas in Russia, the gas market is transparent now. Traditionally, this market fed Presidents and PMs. This is no longer the case."
On the war in Donbas
"According to the intelligence, there appeared a new units of the Russian special forces. We know the name of brigade, number, place of deployment ... this information is handed to our partners."
"Russia uses an area of armed conflict in the Donbass as a testing ground for the most modern weapons, means of electronic warfare, suppression of our means of artillery reconnaissance."
"The right to let fire in response belongs directly to the commander. He can independently make a decision without any approvals... If there is a direct threat to life, he has to do it."
About OSCE Police Mission
"We agreed not only in "Normandy format" but at the highest level as well on a general consensus on the implementation of the Mission [Ed.: OSCE Police Mission], but the OSCE in Vienna under the German Presidency had already launched a discussion on implementation of a Police Mission."
On decommunization and Horishni Plavni
"My attitude to this is very simple. I started the process of decentralization — and I am sure that the local community, carrying out the law on decommunization, should decide how to name their city."
"It shouldn’t be related to aggression and communism."
"As a citizen I would be happy to go directly to these Plavni. Well, if you invite, I’ll come."
On the political crisis and judicial reform
"I am very pleased with yesterday's decision of the Verkhovna Rada (about changes in the the Constitution). I am sure that we have destroyed the Russian scenario, that would show the world chaos and lack of interaction between the President and the Verkhovna Rada."
"I spent the vast majority of the time over the past few weeks convincing factions and individual MPs of the importance of voting for the constitutional amendments in the sphere of justice."
On the Central Elections Committee
"Before the press conference, I signed a letter to the Verkhovna Rada with the introduction of candidates for the CEC".
"You will see them [Ed.: names] in the Verkhovna Rada. These are people who were submitted in accordance with the law."
Original report by Ukrayinska Pravda, translated by Julia Beshlega.