Ukraine has enough potential to increase its GDP to $1 trillion, President Vladimir Zelensky said.
“The specific goal for Ukraine’s GDP is $1 trillion… This is a very, very, very high bar, and it looks seemingly unrealistic, but Ukraine’s potential is capable of providing it,” he said, speaking at the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday.
Zelensky also set a goal of significantly increasing wages for Ukrainians.
“Victory Ukraine will give up the idea that labor of Ukrainians and Ukrainian women should be cheap. Because supposedly the cheapness of our people’s labor was Ukraine’s competitive advantage. Our goal is to reach a level of wages that can be determined by the formula: “neighbors in the European Union +30%.” This is the goal, a fair goal for this war,” said the President.
At the same time, he advocated updating labor laws and a new rational tax treaty between the state and society after the war is over.
As reported, the goal of increasing Ukraine’s nominal dollar GDP by 6.2 times in 10 years – from $161 billion in 2022 to $1 trillion – was announced by First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko at a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction in London last week. In the prewar year of 2021, Ukraine’s GDP exceeded $200 billion.
A Ukrainian retreat center has opened in Durres, Albania, inviting Ukrainians to engage in restorative bodily and spiritual practices in cozy rooms on the Adriatic Sea.
“Albania is a small and beautiful country in the Balkans with a long and powerful history that has hospitably opened its doors to Ukrainians. Our compatriots are organizing themselves in the community, opening businesses and helping other people. The Ukrainian Center in Durres offers our compatriots, whose emotional and physical condition requires care and attention, a series of restorative and supportive activities in a family atmosphere, in cozy 2-3 bed rooms on the Adriatic coast,” the organizers of the Ukrainian Center in Durres report.
“Family breakfasts and dinners of Ukrainian and Mediterranean cuisine – healthy, tasty and homemade – will be a great addition to the vacation. The hosts cook themselves, with love for their guests and care for the quality of the products. Albanian products are always fresh, natural, and cheap. Given the rising prices in Ukraine and Europe, an Albanian check will make everyone happy,” say the organizers of the Ukrainian Center in Durres.
“In ancient times, Durres, one of the oldest cities in Albania, was one of the world’s centers of worship for the goddess Aphrodite (Venus). Pilgrims from all over the world came here and made offerings to her asking for beauty, love, prosperity and health. These ancient energies still impregnate the city streets, coasts and mountains, which are literally bathed in the light and strong emanations of Aphrodite… Therefore, the Center has created separate caring programs for women. With the help of rehabilitation specialists from all spheres – physical, psycho-emotional and spiritual – 7-day express courses are held here, which include physical and psycho-emotional therapy, anti-stress cosmetology (on request) and art therapy,” the organizers of the Ukrainian Center in Durres emphasize.
These practices, in particular, include visits to places of power, yoga and qigong classes, drawing and dancing, singing and adding to oneself, and elements of vipassana: “The Center’s calendar of meetings and events includes master classes by well-known yoga masters, sound healing, vocal, and meditation. Concerts by Ukrainian musicians are also planned. The retreat center is already bustling with life, and all of our guests who come here will definitely stop by to say hello, have dinner and hang out with friends.”
Couples from Ukraine and other countries, as well as women, are welcome here from July to October.
The Ukrainian Center in Durres also accepts applications for all kinds of tasks that Ukrainians have: from renting, selling and operating an apartment to finding the right doctor, specialist, car, etc.
“We will help you feel at home! We hope that in the future many of our citizens will come to Albania who need to have their own, Ukrainian, not only at home but also in a foreign country,” emphasize the organizers of the Ukrainian Center in Durres.
Retail trade turnover in Ukraine in January-March 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 decreased by 9.1% to 390.1 billion UAH, the State Statistics Service (Derzhstat) said on Tuesday.
According to the State Statistics Service, at the same time in March this year there was a 35.5% increase in retail turnover compared to March last year, while in February the decline was 22.6%.
State Statistics Committee specifies that retail trade turnover (legal entities) in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022 decreased by 11.2%, amounting to 262.7 billion UAH.
This figure increased by 35.4% in March 2023 compared to March 2022, while in February the decline was 25.2%.
Gosstat reminds that the data are given without taking into account the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea, Sevastopol, part of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
As reported, in 2022 the retail turnover in Ukraine fell by 21.4%.
More than 150 farmers blocked a road in the village of Elżbieta in Poland’s Lublin Voivodeship demanding a ban on imports of Ukrainian raspberries due to lower purchase prices at Polish fruit and vegetable freezing companies, SadyOgrody reports.
Polish farmers consider the prices offered by processing companies to be too low, and intensive imports of raspberries from Ukraine further worsen the situation on the Polish domestic market.
According to the Polish newspaper, the first strike by berry growers took place last Monday. During a larger protest on June 27, about 150 raspberry growers blocked traffic at the Elżbieta roundabout in Lublin Oblast. The organizers hope that the number of participants will increase with each subsequent protest.
“In the coming days, the producers are planning further actions against too low raspberry prices. Tomorrow there will be another protest in Annopol. The producers intend to block the entrances to processing plants to block the delivery of Ukrainian raspberries there,” the publication notes.
As reported, on June 16, the Association of Gardeners of the Republic of Poland sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture of Poland Robert Telusz with a request to take urgent measures to stop the import of strawberries from Ukraine, limit it and then completely stop it.
The business association insisted on the introduction of a system of official quality control of each batch of fruits and berries entering the country, especially for plant protection products (PPPs) residues, and also proposed to suspend further trade in the product until the results of the examination are received.
The Ukrainian wine market continues to actively develop and introduce new quality standards. This is evidenced by the recent return of Ukraine to the International Wine Organization and the holding of competitions, festivals and tasting events aimed at popularizing domestic brands. The highest quality of Ukrainian products was demonstrated during the second tasting seminar-presentation “Consumer tasting of the best craft wines of Ukraine-2023”, which was held at the Kyiv Analytical Center “Experts Club” on June 23. This event was part of a broad initiative aimed at supporting and developing the wine industry in Ukraine.
The event was supported by the All-Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, the House of Ukrainian Wine, and the Public Union “Ukrsadvynprom”. They act not only as organizers but also as active participants in the process of supporting and developing the domestic wine industry. Information support for the event was provided by the Open4business portal and the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The special partners of the evening, TM Zakarpatski Kovbasy and TM Kozatski Kozyrni Cheese, provided gastronomic wine pairings that allowed to fully reveal the unique taste of each bottle presented.
In his speech, Maxim Urakin, the founder of the Experts Club, emphasized the importance of supporting domestic wine producers.
“Every bottle of wine made in Ukraine is not only a high quality and delicious product. It is also a contribution to the development of the Ukrainian economy, jobs and confidence in the future for our compatriots,” he emphasized.
In her turn, Natalia Blagopoluchna, President of the Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, emphasized the unique organoleptic and flavor properties of Ukrainian craft wines.
“Our wines impress with their diversity, which is guaranteed by different local conditions and grape characteristics. They surprise, inspire, and encourage experimentation. Our wines are creativity and art. And we have every right to be proud of it,” said Blagopoluchna.
During the tasting, experts, guests and participants were able to evaluate the quality and taste of twelve best wines and spirits presented by domestic producers: TM 46 Parallel, TM Babchuk Winery, TM Driukivski Wines, TM Chateau Pinot, Georgiy Samsoniuk, TM My Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky, TM Kovach Wines, TM Vinorob Vinokur, TM KALYUS WINERY and Ivan Gorobets.
At the same time, the event has become an excellent platform for the exchange of experience, knowledge and ideas between producers, experts and wine lovers. Such interaction is the key to the success of the Ukrainian wine industry, which continues to actively develop and conquer new heights of quality.
The next seminars and tastings are already planned for the “Experts Club“.
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Adonis Medical Group has opened a round-the-clock somatic hospital in Kyiv, which became the seventh ADONIS hospital in Kyiv.
The medical network told Interfax-Ukraine that the hospital has started operating in the left-bank part of Kyiv.
According to the press release, patients over 18 years of age will be able to undergo routine treatment and seek emergency care at the hospital. It will provide care in the areas of cardiovascular pathologies, neurological diseases, and other nosologies.
The healthcare network noted that inpatients can also be transported by the ADONIS ambulance service, in particular during curfews.
The hospital has its own laboratory and diagnostic complex (CT, X-ray, endoscopy). Medical care in the hospital is provided by doctors of more than 30 specialties.
Adonis is a network of private medical centers for adults and children. The Adonis private clinic was founded more than 20 years ago. Its network includes 12 branches in Kyiv and the region, including two own maternity hospitals and a stem cell laboratory. In the clinic’s branches, doctors provide services in 66 medical areas.
