Recently, a closed-door meeting between the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, and students from leading universities in Ukraine was held in Kyiv. The event took place against the backdrop of mass youth protests sparked by the adoption of laws that effectively stripped the NABU and SAPO of their independence.
According to Economic Truth, the initiative for the meeting belonged to the Office of the President, which sought to improve the image of the authorities after the high-profile votes. At the same time, the Office of the President stated that the event was planned in advance and was not related to the protests.
During the conversation, the students insisted on discussing the most pressing topics — from the elimination of the independence of anti-corruption agencies to the role of the SBU, the appointment of Oleg Tatarov, the prospects for a ceasefire and plans for elections after the end of the war. Questions were also raised about the ban on the telegram, the appointment of the head of the Bureau of Economic Security, and the government's communication with society.
Yermak recalled that formally the OP is not a separate branch of government, and called the statement about its "parallel" powers a distortion. He also criticized the NABU and the SAPO, noting that these bodies were created under pressure from Western partners, and they received independence during the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky.
Some of the questions concerned polygraph tests for officials with access to state secrets. Yermak admitted that he had not studied the draft law in detail, but explained that the document was developed jointly by the SBU, NABU, SAPO, and parliament, and suggested contacting the SBU for control.
The issue of the appointment of Oleg Tatarov, businessman Vadym Novinsky, and the government's information "bubbles" aroused particular interest among students. They also emphasized the poor communication during the adoption of controversial laws. In response, Yermak agreed that this aspect needs improvement and emphasized the importance of maintaining unity in times of war.
According to participants, the answers of the head of the OP were often general, which caused disappointment. One student directly noted that there was a lack of specificity. The tension in the audience was growing, but there were no personal insults.
After the publication of Economic Truth, Yermak reminded on his Telegram channel of the Chatham House rule, which provides for trust and confidentiality, and explained that he did not plan to make a PR out of this event. He admitted that the meeting was emotional, but he missed the discussion of the topics of the future of Ukraine, war, and technology.
" I am ready for new meetings. I hope we will talk about this as well ," the head of the President's Office concluded.
