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Kolomoisky, the former majority shareholder of Privatbank (PRBANK), to recover his equity rights over the bank. “Regarding Privatbank, I will protect only the state, only its citizens. I do not care about these games of the former owners in the courts. I’m not going to be on their side,” Zelenskiy told Dombrovskis.
2.1 Zelenskiy reaffirms Ukraine-EU cooperation in first foreign trip
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy concluded on June 5 his first foreign trip, a two-day working visit to Brussels, reinforcing close cooperation with the EU, including organizing the next Ukraine-EU summit for July 8 in Kyiv. When meeting with EU Council President Donald Tusk, Zelenskiy reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to EU integration. “Ukraine in the EU is the death of the Russian imperial project,” he said, as tweeted by the Presidential Administration. “Moreover, it’s a powerful strike against Russian authoritarianism, and a path to democratic changes in Russia and the entire post-Soviet sphere.”
At a June 5 press conference with Tusk afterwards, Zelenskiy called for intensifying sanctions against the Russian government. From his end, Tusk condemned Russia’s decision to grant passports to Donbas residents and called for releasing 24 Ukrainian sailors illegally detained. The same day, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the EU will renew its sanctions against Russia for six months at its June 20 meeting. At the same time, no sanctions will be imposed related to the distribution of Russian passports, the report said.
The same morning in an interview with Ukrainian television, Zelenskiy called for a Ukrainian referendum on NATO membership once “all Ukrainians are ready” and have been adequately informed. On June 4, Zelenskiy met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss a wide range of issues on Ukraine-EU cooperation and “confirmed the mutual interest of the sides in further building cooperation in all directions that are of mutual interest,” the Presidential Administration press service said. In particular, Zelenskiy promised to uphold Ukraine’s strategic course to gaining full EU and NATO membership, as well as “Ukraine’s readiness to uphold the responsibilities it took upon itself, including relations with IFIs,” the press service stated.
2.1 Minsk group considering removing Donbas blockade
The Minsk Trilateral Contact Group to resolve the conflict in Donbas will consider a proposal made by Ukraine’s lead negotiator Leonid Kuchma at the June 5 meeting to remove the trade blockade imposed by the Kyiv government in March 2017, Martin Sajdik, the OSCE special representative in the group, told reporters afterwards, according to Interfax-Ukraine. Removing the blockade could become “a big breakthrough,” Sajdik said, adding that the blockade was a factor that promoted “a rupture between the sides.” The exchange of Ukrainian war prisoners, including the 24 sailors detained in November,” will begin to be resolved,” Kuchma said after the June 5 talks,
8 UKRAINE Country Report July 2019 www.intellinews.com