In the Sumy region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the heads of local territorial communities to discuss the challenges faced by frontline areas.
“We were in the border areas of the Sumy region today, visiting our brigades. We honored our warriors, thanked them for defending our country, and discussed the key issues. We will address them quickly,” the Head of State said.
One of the topics raised during the meeting was the possibility of granting relocated businesses the right to choose in which community they pay taxes. According to representatives of the territorial communities, this would allow part of the taxes to be directed to the community where the business originally operated before relocation. The President noted that this issue needs to be reviewed and a balance must be found. Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba presented the concept for a new support program for frontline communities, which will include this component.
“We will propose several mechanisms in the ten-year support program for frontline regions to help us find that balance,” Oleksii Kuleba added.
The meeting also addressed increasing the percentage of workers in frontline region enterprises eligible for deferral from mobilization, as well as the implementation of a differentiated air raid alert system for residents of the Sumy region, which began pilot testing today.
In addition, the participants discussed preferential admission policies for applicants from frontline communities seeking to enroll in institutions of higher and vocational education. The President stated that this issue will be reviewed with the Minister of Education.
Special attention was also paid to the issue of providing free meals for schoolchildren. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this matter is already being handled by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, who are expected to develop solutions that will make it possible to attract additional funding.
“School is extremely important. Children are extremely important. It’s already difficult enough for them, given that they have to study online. This is an important issue, and we will do everything we can,” the Head of State emphasized.
