President Volodymyr Zelenskiy transferred to hospital to self-isolate, his office said
KYIV:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the nation in two videos on Thursday, his first appearance since being hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 this week.
Sitting in a chair in front of a Ukrainian flag, Zelenskiy said he felt good and the government was functioning normally. He also spoke of his administration’s deadlock with the Constitutional Court over anti-corruption reforms.
The president, 42, has been transferred to hospital to self-isolate and not endanger others, his office said.
Three other senior officials, including the finance minister, defense minister and Zelenskiy’s main aide, were also reportedly infected.
“As you know, COVID-19 hasn’t avoided me, but I feel great,” Zelenskiy said.
He then turned fire on the Constitutional Court, which in October overturned anti-corruption legislation that is crucial for Ukraine to receive loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
A former comedian and actor, Zelenskiy compared the court to the protagonists of the 2001 Hollywood film Ocean’s Eleven.
“It’s not Ocean’s Eleven, it’s a remake made with the support of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine,” he said.
“But seriously, they could reverse major reforms and deprive us of very important financial support for us, and we as a society and as a country don’t need such twists and turns. Spoiler alert: they won’t succeed. “
Zelenskiy last month asked parliament to dissolve the court, which the head of the court denounced as a “constitutional coup”.
New Ukrainian coronavirus infections began to rise in late September and remained consistently high in October and November, prompting the government to extend some restrictions until the end of the year.
Zelenskiy’s cabinet voted on Wednesday to impose a nationwide lockdown over the weekend to strengthen measures to curb the rapid spread of the infection.
Ukraine recorded a total of 500,865 coronavirus cases on Thursday, with 9,145 deaths.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
