What was Poroshenko speaking about?

On Sunday, May 14, the first this year’s open press conference of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on the occasion of Europe Day and granting Ukraine a visa-free regime with the European Union was held.

This is the fifth press conference of the sitting head of state. About two hundred Ukrainian and foreign journalists came to the courtyard of the Administration at Bankovaya Street. The event lasted more than an hour and a half, during this time the President answered questions from 22 media, one third of them were tough and not always pleasant.

There were also dissatisfied. For example, the publishing house League stated that they were again not allowed to ask their question, besides that, a number of publishers were indignant at the fact that they do not understand by what principle Svyatoslav Tsegolko, the presidential press secretary, lets journalists to ask questions.

This event hasn’t been without performance. Just as at the press conference of the previous president Viktor Yanukovych, journalists come in masks and T-shirts with various inscriptions – for this press conference a number of journalists put on T-shirts with the inscriptions “Who killed Pavel?”. This was to remind the head of state that the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet has not yet been uncovered.

We give some of the most significant quotations that came straight from the mouth of Peter Poroshenko.

About the scandals with Privat Bank and Kolomoisky

“We do not have a separate responsibilities of the owners of Privatbank, despite the fact that this is the largest bank that needed the most capitalization”

“And based on this legislation, if the bank’s owners do not fulfill the obligations imposed on them by law, the bank’s new owner – the state, represented by the government and the ministry of finance, will apply all necessary measures”

About the Scandal with Odessa Port Factory, which was bankrupted

“I think that the bankruptcy is absolutely unacceptable, I consider that the government will not allow bankruptcy, including negotiations and legal proceedings outside the country.” The only way out of this situation and, this concerns not only the OPF,- is privatization. “Privatization as the elimination of a potential source of corruption.”

About the indecent profit of his bank against the background of bankruptcies of other banks

“I also made inquiries why this happened. Last year, during the check by the National Bank (all were equal here) the reserves were accrued, and the bank sent profits to form reserves, fulfilling the demands of the NBU. Now, when all the reserves have been formed, it shows profit. ”

About number of Ukrainians, who will go to Europe on visa-free travel

“More than 3 million 300 thousand Ukrainian citizens have already received biometric passports and they are in anticipation of a historic decision, millions more have ordinary passports with earlier issued visas on their hands”

About whether all Ukrainians will go to Europe

“They will be able to (feel the benefits of visa-free travel – Ed.), When the Crimea and Donbass will be returned to Ukraine, now these benefits can be used by temporarily displaced persons after the appropriate procedure”

On the “Onishchenko films”, on which there is allegedly compromising material

“Mr. Onishchenko is a person who is reasonably suspected of committing crimes, the evidence on which was transferred to the Verkhovna Rada”

“At the same time, in order to give an explanation for his crimes, he is ready to convey anything he has”

About foreign policy

“In the near future in the US it is planned to select a special representative who will be responsible for coordinating actions with Ukraine”

About freedom

“This level of freedom, which now exists, including in relation to civil society, is unprecedented. Such level of freedom for journalists and civil society has never existed in the history of Ukraine before.”

About his Russian colleague

“You know how our situation differs from Ossetia, from Transnistria, from Syria – under the Minsk agreements there is Putin’s signature, which makes it possible to bring Russia and Putin to justice”

About wife and TV channel “Ukraine”

“She conducts active civil activities and what’s the problem if she is planning to shoot a series of programs – not political at all – she did not consult me, but I watched at the announcement – I like them”

About his son and T-shirt with the inscription “Russia”

“I have not seen this photo before, it’s from a private Instagram, it relates to the night on Halloween, and it was a den in nature.” Someone dressed as a devil, someone put on a T-shirt with Russia”

However, Peter Poroshenko did not give any answers to the main questions. He could not say anything intelligible about the progress of the investigation into the murder of journalist Sheremet. And on the second main question – whether he will go to the elections, he jokingly said: “it isn’t time yet.”