KYIV. Dec 3 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has supported the proposal of Yuriy Husev, whom he appointed director general of the state concern Ukroboronprom on Thursday, to hold a separate meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) on the transformation of Ukroboronprom, and the defense industry in general.
"It is planned that Ukroboronprom will cease to exist in 2021. I suggest that the roadmap for the transformation of Ukroboronprom should be considered by the NSDC, and then the stages, expected results and people in charge of specific stages should be clearly approved," Husev said a press conference at the Interfax press center in Kyiv on Thursday.
The newly appointed head of the state concern supported the previously announced conception for the transformation of Ukroboronprom into holdings under the two umbrella-type holdings: Defense Systems of Ukraine and Aerospace Systems.
Commenting on the conflict between Ukroboronprom and the Ministry of Strategic Industry, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Oleh Urusky, whom the current administration of the state concern accused of interfering in operations and personnel appointments, Husev said the president had instructed him to "work in a team", including the government and the Ministry for Strategic Industries.
Oleksiy Arestovych, non-staff advisor to the head of the President's Office for strategic communications in the field of national security and defense, told the press conference the conflict had been caused by a lack of strategic communications.
"Both my position and the position of Yuriy [Husev] appeared simultaneously to deal with this problem. We have already held preliminary negotiations at the personal level, and there is a decision by the Office of the President that the Office will act as a bridge and help Mr. Urusky and Mr. Husev find a common language. And the president of Ukraine is the guarantor," Arestovych said.
The director general of the state concern said he had already met with the head of the Ministry for Strategic Industries, but he had not yet met with the administration of Ukroboronprom.
Husev said he is not yet ready to comment on the personnel decisions in the state concern, but will analyze the activities of each manager and will sum up the results by the end of December.
The head of Ukroboronprom also said he is ready to continue to work in President Zelensky's team in the position that he sees fit after the transformation of Ukroboronprom.