Journalist asked Zelensky to hold a press conference for media: petition did not pass moderation
The administration of the electronic petitions service on the website of the President of Ukraine did not publish a petition calling on Volodymyr Zelensky to hold a separate press conference for independent and critically-minded Ukrainian media.
The initiator of the appeal, journalist Danylo Mokryk, reported this by publishing the text of the petition and the response received.
According to Mokryk, he submitted the petition two days ago. On August 21, the journalist received a notification that the appeal did not meet the established requirements and therefore would not be published.
"The electronic petition to the President of Ukraine initiated by you does not meet the established requirements, so its publication is not carried out", - says the response of the service administration.
At the same time, the published message did not specify which requirements, in the administration's opinion, were violated.
What Zelensky was asked for
The text of the petition concerned the protests that have been ongoing in Ukraine for over a month. The author of the appeal noted that one of the demands of the protest participants remains an appeal to the president to enter into a "real dialogue with society".
One of the forms of such a dialogue was proposed to be a separate press conference for independent and critically-minded journalists.
"They are ready to ask those sharp and urgent questions about domestic policy that are heard at the protests today, and the answers to these questions the society wants to hear directly from the President", - the appeal said.
The author proposed to invite representatives of "Ukrainska Pravda", Bihus.Info, "Slidstvo.Info", "Radio Svoboda", Hromadske, The Kyiv Independent, "Suspilne", NV, "Dzerkalo Tyzhnia", BBC Ukraine and Liga.net to the press conference and give them the opportunity to ask questions.
"An open conversation with independent journalism is a step that can become a real response to the request voiced by society", - the petition said.
Why the petition might not have been published
The official website of electronic petitions states that after creating an appeal, the administrator checks it for compliance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Citizens' Appeals". If the requirements are met, the petition must be published within two working days. If not, the author is sent a notice of refusal to publish.
At the same time, from the response received by Mokryk, it is impossible to establish a specific ground for refusal.
Volodymyr Zelensky last held a large press conference on February 23, 2025, during the "Ukraine. Year 2025" forum. Since then, the president regularly answers individual questions from journalists during briefings, international visits and other public events, but he has not held a separate large press conference in a similar format.
Based on materials from: Danylo Mokryk, Official website of the President
