KIEV, December 11 /TASS/. The National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting will consider the legality of TV transmission of Vladimir Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation address to the Russian Federal Assembly /parliament/ by Espresso TV channel at its meeting next week.

The Espresso TV channel broadcast live President Putin’s address to parliament on December 4.

Yuri Artemenko, the National Council’s chairman, told a briefing on Thursday that the Council would meet next week to discuss whether the fact of transmission of Putin’s address had breached Ukrainian laws, Ukraine’s Telekritika online publication reported. “Whether Putin’s address was news or a manipulation? Or was the transmission totally forbidden? We want to talk to the channel staff. We are not going to close our eyes on it,” Artemenko went on to say.

The transmission of Putin’s address has become a source of controversy between Ukraine’s National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting and the employees of the Espresso TV channel. “The channel’s founder, Nikolai Knyazhitsky said the address was the news. One of the National Council members said that no piece of news could last for an hour and a half. But Vladimir Putin is the leader of a neighboring country. I would like to know what kind of conversation we are going to have next week and what decision will be made,” Artemenko said.