NSDC outlined the primary goal in Donbas
Photo Reuters
The annual address of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi to the Verkhovna Rada is a precise action plan for the authorities in foreign and domestic policy, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksii Danilov said.
He noted that for the president, "achieving peace remains a top priority, and 86 days of silence at the front confirms that explicitly," the press service of the National Security and Defense Council reports.
Among the initiatives declared by the President, Danilov stressed the special importance of creating a "Crimean Platform" format.
"The Crimean issue is also key for us, and we have never removed it from the agenda. Intensifying the negotiation process and involving new participants will bring us closer to restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders," Danilov said.
Danilov stressed that the increase in spending on security and defense sector financing is Zelenskyi's committed position, and reminded that funding for the security and defense sector of Ukraine is 5.93% of GDP in the draft budget for 2021.
According to Danilov, the Strategy for Development of Economy of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions will become an important tool for the reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories.
"On December 5, 2019, the National Security and Defense Council considered five scenarios of developments in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. We are currently working on the first approved scenario, i.e. liberating the temporarily occupied territories through political and diplomatic means," he said noting that implementing new presidential initiatives will speed up the return of Crimea, separate districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Ukraine on Ukrainian terms.
"It is a very realistic goal," Danilov said.
