Zelensky signed a law banning the import of books from Russia and Belarus

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Law No. 2309-IX, which prohibits the import and distribution of publishing products from Russia and Belarus. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) approved this bill on June 19 with 306 votes.

The law provides for the publication of books in Ukraine in the original language or translated into Ukrainian, the languages of the EU or indigenous peoples of Ukraine. And the document also blocks the possibility of importing publications with anti-Ukrainian content.

"I consider the law correct," the president noted, taking into account the debate surrounding the document.

According to him, the text of the law was sent to the EU institutions for an additional assessment of whether its individual norms can affect the fulfillment of obligations in terms of protecting minority rights, in particular linguistic rights, in the context of the recommendation of the European Commissionʼs Opinion on Ukraineʼs application for EU membership.

Earlier, the president said that the adoption of this law could complicate negotiations on joining the EU. The MPs of the Verkhovna Rada supported Law No. 2309-IX back in June 2022, but since the president did not sign it, writers, publishers and other users organized a flash mob on social networks with the hashtag #ЧасПідписатиКнижковийЗакон.