The NSDC of Ukraine has adopted the Strategy of Foreign Policy of Ukraine and a number of important decisions in the spheres of economic and state security

Chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine at its field meeting, which took place in Kramatorsk, adopted the Strategy of Foreign Policy of Ukraine and a number of important decisions in the spheres of economic and state security.

A total of eight issues were included in the meeting agenda.

After the meeting, Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said that, in particular, the NSDC of Ukraine had “secretly” considered certain issues of state policy in the field of state border protection and made a decision.

Mr. Danilov reminded that these issues were considered at the previous meeting of the Council on July 16, this year, and were finalized in accordance with the instructions of the Head of State. “The Ministry of Internal Affairs and border guards have been working together on these extremely tough issues for the last two weeks”, - he said.

The state of the national health care system and urgent measures to provide medical care to the citizens of Ukraine were discussed at the meeting and a decision was adopted.

Mr. Danilov stressed that further measures to reform the health care system should be focused on adjusting the reform given the priority of solving the problems, which emerged in the situation with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Oleksiy Danilov, the President of Ukraine also set a task to ensure “the maximum possible increase in salaries of the nursing staff”.

The NSDC of Ukraine also adopted a comprehensive decision on the state of Ukraine’s water resources.

The NSDC Secretary reminded that last year a working group on water security of the state and providing the population with quality drinking water in the settlements of Ukraine was set up at the NSDC Staff to coordinate interagency coordination of relevant water security agencies.

The issue of water security is considered at the NSDC meetings for the fifth time. It was considered in 2003, 2009, 2013 and at the beginning of this year in the framework of the above-mentioned issue “On challenges and threats to the national security of Ukraine in the environmental sphere and priority measures to neutralize them”.

It was proposed to look at the problem of water safety comprehensively, streamline the coordination of the relevant agencies, and eliminate existing gaps in the legislation. This is what the draft NSDC decision on this issue is aimed at.

Also, according to Mr. Danilov, special attention should be paid to monitoring the quality of drinking water. “Every community needs to know about the quality of the water they consume. Everything should be as public as possible”, - he said.

The NSDC of Ukraine has also decided on measures to neutralize threats in the energy sector.

According to Mr. Danilov, the materials on this issue were prepared by the NSDC Staff to fulfill the instructions of the President of Ukraine.

The draft decision, which was considered at the meetings of the Council of Energy Security Experts on June 11 and 15, 2021, and supported by the members of the Council of Experts, provides for a number of tasks of the Government, the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities, and the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.

The NSDC Secretary stated that the National Security Council is considering the possibility of introducing temporary administrations at energy enterprises in the event of threats to national security.

He stressed that the Head of State “set a task – by no means to allow tariff increases for vulnerable groups”. “In no case should the price for the population raise”, - Mr. Danilov stressed.

The NSDC of Ukraine also imposed sanctions on 3 individuals and a number of legal entities on the basis of proposals from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine due to real and potential threats to the national interests, national security, and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Members of the NSDC of Ukraine also considered and approved the Strategy of Foreign Policy of Ukraine presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, which is a document of medium-term planning of state policy in foreign relations.

The draft NSDC decision and the relevant Decree of the Head of State were developed to implement paragraph 66 of the National Security Strategy of Ukraine, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine of 14.09.2020 № 392.

According to Mr. Danilov, this document was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine at a meeting on June 9, this year, and revised by the NSDC Staff, taking into account the proposals made by members of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

In addition, the NSDC of Ukraine decided to send national personnel to participate in the EU operation “Althea” in Bosnia and Herzegovina and considered measures to resolve problematic issues of financial and economic activities of the “Ukrzaliznytsia” joint-stock company.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has been instructed to gain insight on the state of affairs at the “Ukrzaliznytsia” JSC and, if necessary, to make “drastic decisions”, in particular, staff decisions, the NSDC Secretary reported.