Opening a regular meeting of the Opposition government, the Party of Regions Leader Viktor Yanukovych stated:

- There are three issues on the agenda of today's meeting of the Opposition government. The first one covers corruption within the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The second subject is about negative social and economic consequences caused by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine's failure to fulfill the 2008 State budget during the first half-year. And the third issue concerns the Opposition government's demands for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to eliminate negative impacts and tendencies in preventing extraordinary situations and ensuring public protection from the Chornobyl catastrophe consequences.

Before hearing our Ministers' reports, I would like to say a few words about the situation in Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The situation, which is occurring in parliament now, is the outcome of the failed policy carried out by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Today we will consider very sore cases but I think that there is no more burning question than public protection from increasing inflation and soaring prices. We are estimating the future state of affairs and, unfortunately, see that we should expect further considerable rise in prices, including charges for housing and communal services. And, definitely, nowadays the Ukrainians rely on the state's protection.

We have prepared a number of laws which are focused, primarily, on protection of the poor from the rise in prices. We suggested examining these laws and including them afterwards in the 2008 second half-year budget. But Parliament is being blockaded by the non-existent coalition, again by the power. It blockades itself because it does not want to work. It is difficult to say how long this disarray will last in the country.

But I would like to address the Ukrainian people and draw our voters' attention to the following: the so-called democratic coalition and the present government bear full responsibility for everything taking place in the country at the moment.

There is only one way out from the situation when the coalition is actually unable to carry out its duties: the coalition has to dismiss itself remembering the responsibility for the electors. Otherwise we are faced with pre-term elections. We know that early elections have never entailed positive outcome. If the state of affairs, when the country undergoes aggravating economic and political crises, is also accompanied with pre-term elections, then an economic collapse could occur and affect people's life extremely negatively.

Therefore, today we are definitely ready today for any negotiations in order to stabilize the situation in Parliament. We are ready to pass necessary acts for protection of the poor, for protection of consumers from the hike in prices and make appropriate amendments to the budget. If the coalition fails to vote for the budget on its own, we will support it, given that the amendments which would guarantee protection of the people are made. That is our position.

Besides, the first issue on today's agenda is overcoming corruption.

Certainly, when I heard Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's speech about corruption of the previous government led by me, I recognized the 2005 scenario, when, starting from the first days of work, I was accused of plundering budget funds and my adherents throughout Ukraine and I underwent criminal proceedings.

At that time we heard the same figures as this year. But I wonder whether one more coincidence expects us in 2008 – the dismissal of the government and accusations of corruption within this coalition. You remember how in September of 2005 the entire country and the whole world watched the orange coalition's recriminations. For sure, it was a disgrace. Our opponents are fond of this word and I think that it fits this case the best.

That is why I would ask the Opposition government members to be unbiased, not to sound groundless during consideration of corruption matter within the present government in order to avoid being like them. We know that an attempt to charge someone is, foremost, an endeavor to distract the public attention from real negative tendencies in our country's life. It is a key reason of the current authorities search for guilty, as the saying goes, tracing a speck in the white of a stranger's eye and not noticing a log in one's own.

There is no doubt that today we will examine the whole agenda. In fact, there is one day left for us. Unless the coalition stops blockading Parliament, it will bear disgraceful responsibility.

I am fed up with observing it. Today I went to a region and met ordinary people there. And the only question they put me was "Who can tell when will this disarray in the country be over?" I frankly said to them that I cannot answer this question because now I am in opposition while the authorities are liable for the state of affairs in the country.

When we were in power we were answerable for each our word. Everything what we said was executed. If there were drawbacks we admitted them. We spoke to the people and told the truth what was the situation and what can be expected from us. We acknowledged our failures and today we do not abandon them.

But it is impossible to live in the country where the authorities and the people exist apart from each other.
These words I have also heard today from ordinary people.