Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of August 25
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The Belarusian air carrier Belavia has extended the suspension of all of its flights to Ukraine until September 30, 2021, in line with a similar decision adopted by Ukraine, the Belavia press service told Interfax.
“The Ukrainian side informed us of the extension of its ban on Belavia flights until September 30, 2021. This is their official position. Consequently, the suspension of all fights to Ukraine has also been extended. We can’t say at this point how the situation will unfold in the future,” the press service said.
As reported, due to the Ukrainian authorities’ ban on Belavia’s flights, the Belarusian air carrier had to cancel its flights to Ukraine between May 26 and August 25 of this year.
European Union member states, Ukraine and some other countries prohibited Belarusian airlines from passing through their airspace in late May due to the Ryanair flight landing incident in Minsk. Thus, Belavia has lost access to more than two-thirds of passenger destination countries after it was banned from using the airspace of a number of countries.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia and Deutsche Bahn Engineering & Consulting have entered into an agreement on consulting in the field of passenger transportation, according to a posting on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
This is about improving the planning and development of passenger rail transport, optimizing purchases and renewing rolling stock.
Deutsche Bahn will help Ukrzaliznytsia to separate passenger from freight traffic and ensure efficient management. Consulting is the first stage of cooperation, which will be implemented by the end of 2021. After its successful implementation at the second stage, Ukrzaliznytsia will engage a team of Deutsche Bahn managers to directly manage passenger traffic in 2022.
“Transfer of Ukrzaliznytsia to the management of passenger transportation by DB Consulting is the first systematic step towards a complete transformation of railway transportation in Ukraine,” Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
According to him, with this project the state begins Big Construction project at Ukrzaliznytsia, which will impact the entire infrastructure, rolling stock fleet and service.
“The agreement signed today is the first stage of cooperation, and we expect that, based on its results, we will move on to the next stage already at the beginning of 2022, when the team of German managers will be delegated for the operational management of passenger traffic in Ukraine,” the Ministry of Infrastructure said, citing Member of the Management Board for Infrastructure at Deutsche Bahn AG Ronald Pofalla.
According to acting Board Chairman of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Kamyshin, DB E&C is to develop a roadmap for the implementation of long-distance and suburban passenger transportation for the next five years and a model for financing passenger transportation.
“In the process of reforming the industry, we must change the long-standing practice of passenger transportation being financed by freight. These are separate areas of our company’s business, and they must be accounted for and financed separately. Therefore, we expect our consultant to develop an effective financial model for passenger transportation,” Kamyshin said.
In addition, DB E&C experts should determine the traffic volumes and the estimated capital investment needs of Ukrzaliznytsia to renew the rolling stock for use in Public Service Obligations (PSO) model.
The service provider will also provide an assessment of the prospects for the purchase and production of passenger rolling stock – regional electric trains, diesel trains, night train cars – and the possibility of producing such rolling stock within the framework of international cooperation with the participation of a Ukrainian manufacturer.
As reported, in August, Ukrzaliznytsia and DB Engineering & Consulting began cooperation to develop a new energy efficiency strategy for the company.
On August 27, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will pay a visit to Chisinau on the occasion of the Independence Day of Moldova, the press service of the President of the Republic of Moldova said.
According to the information on the department’s website, President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda will leave for the Republic of Moldova on Thursday, August 26.
On August 27, Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be in Chisinau.
It is noted that the three heads of state, together with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, will take part in the celebrations on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Moldova.
After that, several bilateral meetings will take place, as well as a multilateral meeting of the four presidents.
Germany wants the agreement on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to be prolonged as soon as possible, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
“Our cooperation in the sphere of energy is very important. It already exists, but it will continue, also because there will be further traffic through the Ukrainian gas transport system from Russia to Europe. I have spoken about that with the Russian president [during the visit to Moscow on August 20] that we want to prolong the agreement, which is in effect until 2024, as soon as possible. We will also speak about that in Europe and with the companies that are associated with that here,” Merkel said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.
Germany will also have its own special envoy on transit issues, Merkel said.
“We agree with the Americans that gas cannot be used as a weapon. And therefore, we will be holding these talks with the Americans,” Merkel said.
“It has to be said that Nord Stream 2 is not a German-Russian project, there are companies from Germany, the Netherlands, and France there. And therefore it’s a European-Russian project, it is subject to European law, it is subject to the law of the Third Energy Package because we are not fully free in regulation, but should cite exactly that, therefore we didn’t hold these talks from the German side, but we supported that on the European side,” she said.
Merkel said Ukraine needs to develop in the direction of climate neutrality.
“We will export gas from Russia to Europe after 2024, and it’s important here that Ukraine should stay a transit country, and it’s important that this agreement should stay, and then step by step – it’s very important to Russia – Ukraine should also develop in the direction of climate neutrality. Germany should achieve that by 2045. That is why gas consumption will decrease, and then gas will not go on Nord Stream or via Ukraine’s gas transport system, and then Ukraine should be ready for what can be done then,” Merkel said.
One of the possibilities is partnership in the sphere of green energy, namely on hydrogen, she said.
“But it’s not a problem that can replace transit via the Ukrainian gas transport system from 2024. However, due to the renewable sources of energy, which can be expanded in Ukraine, it is possible to help here to produce green hydrogen by means of hydrolysis, by means of green energy from renewable sources of energy and use it,” the chancellor said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven, at which he thanked him for participating in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform and for sustainable support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Zelensky received an invitation to visit Sweden.
According to the press service of the head of state, Löfven said that the summit of this initiative is a powerful signal of the need to de-occupy Crimea both from the outside and for the Ukrainian society.
Zelensky expressed his sincere gratitude to the Swedish side for assistance in organizing an exposition of values important for Ukrainian statehood – the original Constitution of the Hetman Pylyp Orlyk of 1710 and the Hetman’s mace, which are now exhibited in Sofia Kyivska.
The Head of State and the Swedish Prime Minister discussed further interaction on the agenda of Ukraine’s relations with the EU and prospects for cooperation within the framework of NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities Partnership.
Security policy issues related to the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project by Russia have become separate topics for a substantive dialogue.
The parties also discussed the tense situation on the borders of Belarus with neighboring countries due to the growth of the flow of illegal migrants and the Russian exercises “West-2021”, which worsen the security in the region.
The President of Ukraine informed his interlocutor about the situation in Donbas and thanked the Swedish side for the projects implemented by the defense departments, in particular in the field of mine clearance.
In addition, Zelensky, during a discussion of the possibilities of filling bilateral relations with specific projects, invited the Swedish side to take part in the creation of a network of waste processing plants in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister of Sweden noted the progress of Ukraine in the implementation of important reforms.
