Zelensky Admits Possible Swap of Medvedchuk for Ukrainian Prisoners and Downplays Seriousness of Offshore Probe: Key Points from Interview

He also said there is enough gas at the low tariff in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted a possible swap of Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the political council of the Opposition Platform — For Life party, who is under house arrest, and downplayed the seriousness of the Slidstvo.Info investigation into offshore companies, without denying them.

This article gathers the main points from the president's latest interview with the ICTV TV channel.

“Offshore 95”

In the interview, Zelensky commented for the first time on the Pandora Papers investigation into his offshore business in 2012.

He believes that there is nothing new in the Slidstvo.Info journalists' investigation into offshore companies linked to him, and objected that they were used to illegally launder money from Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky
President of Ukraine

Frankly, the storyline (of the film — ed.) is not very good. It felt like déjà vu to me. In 2019 I saw the same movie on the channels of oligarch Poroshenko, which showed it because they understood there was nothing against me, no dirt at all. It’s all an old story, I’ve heard all of it, seen all of it, all these details. I’m glad that I didn’t see any new details. This means that since 2019, Comrade Petro has not found anything on me as president of Ukraine. That is somewhat gratifying.

Asked a follow-up question about whether Zelensky used offshore companies to launder money, he said that the creation of such companies under the illegitimate fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych was supposedly done by “everyone, especially business related to television and the media.” According to him, this “made it possible to protect oneself from the influence of politics on activities.”

Zelensky also said that at that time, because of political satire in the show “Vechirniy Kvartal,” his business was being pressured, and tax authorities came for inspections “if not daily, then weekly.”

Volodymyr Zelensky

I personally built a business in Ukraine without budgets or the state, from scratch. Neither I nor any member of the Kvartal 95 studio engaged in laundering any money in 2019, nor in 2012, nor in 2001 or 2019. We were engaged exclusively in creative work.

Medvedchuk Swap and the Reaction of the MP Himself

Zelensky believes that Viktor Medvedchuk, the People’s Deputy from the Opposition Platform — For Life party and Putin’s godfather, who is under house arrest, could be exchanged for political prisoners held outside Ukraine if he is “found” to have Russian citizenship.

Answering a question about whether there were any hints from Russia to leave Medvedchuk alone, Zelensky said that “there were no direct hints.”

At the same time, he noted that if Medvedchuk “were found” to have Russian citizenship, Ukraine would consider options for exchanging him for Ukrainians who are political prisoners of the Kremlin.

Volodymyr Zelensky

If, for example, Russia confirmed that Mr. Medvedchuk has Russian citizenship, then we would gladly, after such confirmation or even a hint, consider the possibility of exchanging Mr. Medvedchuk for real heroes and citizens of Ukraine who are not in Ukraine.

Medvedchuk later said that he holds only Ukrainian citizenship, and called Zelensky’s idea of an exchange “untenable and one that does not interest him,” while in his rhetoric portraying himself as a “political prisoner.” 

Viktor Medvedchuk
Opposition Platform — For Life MP

I have not had and do not have any citizenship other than Ukrainian. I am a citizen of Ukraine and will remain one, despite the illegal, criminal pressure that the authorities are exercising against me today. I am confident in my innocence and will fight for the restoration of justice and the triumph of the law.

He also threatened the Ukrainian authorities that he would fight for the “criminal prosecution” of their representatives.

Affordable Gas

President Volodymyr Zelensky assures that Ukraine has sufficient gas reserves at the approved price for consumers.

Volodymyr Zelensky

I want to reassure everyone. I believe that many important, substantive and, most importantly, timely actions were taken by the government and the authorities. Today there is enough gas for society, enough gas for consumers at very reasonable prices compared with European prices.

Zelensky noted that if the authorities had not intervened in this situation, the gas price for the population would have been “at least 50 hryvnias,” whereas now it is about 8 UAH.

Commenting on the host’s remark that several cities have already declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, Zelensky stressed that the heating season is the responsibility of both central and local authorities.

Volodymyr Zelensky

That is why we signed a memorandum, which contains two main things: Naftogaz National Joint Stock Company and the central authorities guarantee these two things: a specific stable price and a stable volume. Further, there are technical issues, legal issues and political issues of some local government representatives. All of this, I am confident, will be resolved. In any case, it will be a normal price.