President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Ambassadors of the G7 and the European Union to Ukraine.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on topical issues of the agenda of Ukraine's cooperation with international partners, the implementation of key reforms in our country and the peace settlement in Donbas.
The President noted that since the last meeting in this format last year, a number of events have taken place in Ukraine that threaten the state system, and decisive steps have been taken to overcome these challenges.
In particular, the Head of State informed foreign diplomats about the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine of February 2, 2021 on the imposition of sanctions against certain media.
"I would like to note the work of the Security Service of Ukraine in the fight against the danger of Russian aggression in the information space. Sanctions against the media are always a difficult decision for any government except for the authoritarian one. This decision is not emotional, it has been maturing, it has been prepared for a long time on the basis of information from many Ukrainian government agencies. This is by no means an attack on freedom of speech, this is a well-founded decision to protect national security," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
It was emphasized that the sanctioned TV channels have long been actively used for disinformation campaigns in Ukraine aimed at undermining reforms and our country's course towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as promoting the hybrid influence of the aggressor state on political processes in our country.
Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak added that sanctions against some media outlets had been imposed on the basis of strong evidence.
"Freedom of speech, freedom of work of journalists has been and remains a priority for the Ukrainian state," Andriy Yermak said.
The President of Ukraine stressed that nothing endangers the freedom of speech in our country.
"Ukraine has perhaps the largest concentration of free broadcasters and media in the region," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that the Ukrainian authorities would act exclusively in accordance with the law.
During the meeting, special attention was paid to judicial reform and settlement of the situation that has arisen due to the decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The President informed about further steps to reform the judiciary and prepare a Strategy for the Development of the Judicial System for 2021-2025.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a working presentation of the entire judicial reform will take place tomorrow.
"This is a large number of bills, successive steps that will lead to the purification of the judiciary in Ukraine. Tomorrow, after a meeting with me, with the Commission on Legal Reform, we will understand the deadlines for the implementation of all these steps and start preparing for the public presentation of judicial reform in Ukraine," the President noted.
The President presented the key achievements of Ukraine in implementing reforms. In particular, he noted the important role of the law on reforming the Security Service of Ukraine, which became a real step towards the implementation of EU and NATO standards. The Security Service reform also creates preconditions for further progress in economic liberalization and business facilitation in Ukraine, the Head of State stressed.
During the meeting, the parties also exchanged views on the security situation in Donbas and the course of negotiations on a peace settlement.