During a working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Crown Prince, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud.
“The Ukrainian head of state emphasized the desire of Saudi Arabia to help restore a just peace in Ukraine,” the presidential press service reported.
Zelensky and Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud exchanged views on the current situation in the world and possible ways to end the war in Ukraine.
The parties discussed the realization of the Formula for Peace. The President of Ukraine thanked the Crown Prince for his valuable advice on speeding up the process of implementation of a number of its points.
“Saudi Arabia’s leadership can help to find fair solutions,” the President said.
The Head of State informed the Crown Prince about the preparation by Ukraine together with its partners of the first Global Summit of Peace at the level of leaders, which will be held in Switzerland. Volodymyr Zelensky and Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud discussed the content of the summit and possible steps to really restore security for Ukraine, all of Europe and all peoples of the world.
“We are equally interested in ensuring global stability,” the President emphasized.
The leaders also discussed specific opportunities for bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia in the economic and technological sphere.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud instructed the teams of the two states to work on the relevant areas discussed during the meeting.
Housing commissioning in Ukraine in 2023 increased by 3.8% compared to 2022, to 7 million 380.7 thousand square meters, the State Statistics Service reported.
According to the report, 4 million 276.9 thousand square meters of housing were put into operation in cities in 2023, which is 10% lower than the previous year. In rural areas, 31.6% more housing was commissioned than in 2022 – 3 million 103.8 thousand square meters.
At the same time, 47.2% of the total housing volume was commissioned in single-family houses, 52.6% in houses with two or more apartments, and 0.2% in dormitories.
In total, 89.2 thousand apartments were commissioned last year, which is 3.5% less than in 2022. At the same time, 57.2 thousand apartments were commissioned in cities and 32 thousand apartments in villages.
At the end of 2023, the largest number of housing was commissioned in Kyiv region – 1 million 387.6 thousand square meters (18.8% of the total), but compared to 2022, the figure decreased by 4.8%. Next comes Lviv region – 769.4 thousand sq m (10.4%), exceeding the previous year’s result by 6.8%; Vinnytsia region – 658.5 thousand sq m (8.9%), plus 62.8% by 2022; Ivano-Frankivsk region – 526 thousand sq m (7.1%), plus 6.6%, respectively.
In Kyiv, 1 million 13.8 thousand square meters of housing (13.7%) were commissioned last year, which is 11.6% higher than in 2022.
According to the State Statistics Service, the largest increase in housing commissioning in 2023 was recorded in Kharkiv region, where the figure increased 5 times year-on-year to 260.6 thousand square meters (3.5% of the total).
The growth of housing commissioning compared to the previous year was also recorded in Cherkasy (+78.4%, to 166.8 thousand sq. m.), Donetsk (+52, to 5.5 thousand sq. m.), Dnipropetrovs’k (+29.2%, to 235.1 thousand sq. m.), Sumy (+24.7%, to 52.3 thousand sq. m.), Ternopil (+24.7%, to 52.3 thousand sq. m.), Sumy (+24.7%, to 52.3 thousand sq. m.), Ternopil (+24.7%, to 52.3 thousand sq. m.), and Ternopil (+24.7%, to 52.3 thousand sq. m.) regions. sq. m), Sumy (+24.7%, to 52.3 thousand sq. m) regions. sq. m), Ternopil (+18.3%, to 216.6 thousand sq. m), Zakarpattia (+17.8%, to 364.2 thousand sq. m), Volyn (+15.2%, to 316.2 thousand sq. m), Zaporizhzhia (+12.4%, to 21.5 thousand sq. m) and Chernivtsi (+6.9%, to 235.7 thousand sq. m) regions. Other regions showed a decrease in the volume of housing commissioned.
The data are given taking into account the housing commissioned in accordance with the temporary procedure for commissioning houses built without a building permit, as well as excluding the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and part of the territory where hostilities are/were conducted, the State Statistics Service reminds.
As reported, at the end of 2022, the commissioning of housing in Ukraine decreased by 37.8% compared to 2021 – to 7 million 110.2 thousand square meters.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss the Ukrainian formula for peace and the return of prisoners and deportees, the Head of State said.
“Arrived in Saudi Arabia to continue our regular dialogue with His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
“The number one topic is the Formula for Peace. Last year in Jeddah, we held an effective meeting at the level of advisers on its implementation. We are now close to holding the first Peace Summit and look forward to continued active support from Saudi Arabia,” the president said.
According to Zelenskyy, topic number two is “the return of prisoners and deportees. Saudi leadership has already contributed to the release of our people. I am confident that this meeting will bring results.”
The parties also plan to discuss “promising areas of economic cooperation and Saudi Arabia’s participation in the restoration of Ukraine.”
In January of this year, the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) made 643 regulatory payments from the Victims Protection Fund (VPF), which is 1.7% less than a year earlier.
According to a report on the MTIBU website, the total amount of such payments increased by 15.9% to UAH 36.3 million compared to January 2023.
The largest volume of payments – UAH 24.9 million, or 68.5% by amount and 397 by number – was for damage caused by road traffic accidents that did not have a valid MTPL policy. At the same time, the number of such payments increased by 9.8% and the amount by 18.5%.
In the reporting period, almost 99 payments amounting to UAH 6.03 million were made to drivers of privileged categories under the FOP, which is 4% less in number and 21.2% more in amount than in January last year. The share of payments to beneficiaries is 16.59% of the total amount of payments from the MTIBU Victims Protection Fund.
In January, MTIBU paid UAH 80 thousand under the liabilities of insurance companies that ceased operations and were declared bankrupt.
Under the liabilities of companies that ceased operations in the MTPL market but were declared bankrupt in accordance with the procedure established by law, payments were made at the expense of the guarantee premiums of such insurers available in the MTIBU’s guarantee fund in the amount of UAH 5.33 million.
The MTIBU also notes that the minimum amount of statutory payments for road accidents caused by an unidentified vehicle remains the same – UAH 7 thousand (in such cases, payments are made only in case of a threat to life and health).
Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 marketing year, Ukraine has exported 28.579 million tons of grains and legumes, of which 4.703 million tons were shipped this month, Denys Bashlyk, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization, said on Telegram, citing data from the State Customs Service.
According to the report, since the beginning of the current season, which began in July 2023, 11.237 million tons of wheat, 1.596 million tons of barley, 15.439 million tons of corn, and 1 thousand tons of rye have been exported.
As of February 26, the total export of Ukrainian flour is estimated at 73 thousand tons, including 69.3 thousand tons of wheat, the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy summarized.
As reported, Bashlyk informed that the harvest of grain and legumes in 2023 in Ukraine was carried out on an area of 10.609 million hectares, which is 97% of the plan, from which 58.993 million tons of grain were harvested.
Winter wheat plantings for the 2024 harvest in Ukraine amount to 4166 thou hectares (-834 thou hectares compared to the previous year), winter barley – 536 thou hectares (-255 thou hectares), and rapeseed – 1374 thou hectares (+110 thou hectares).
According to the newly improved forecast of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, by the end of 2023, farmers can harvest 81.3 mln tons of grains and oilseeds, including 59.7 mln tons of grains and 21.6 mln tons of oilseeds.
Ukrainian agrarians intend to increase the acreage under soybeans and sugar beets and reduce corn, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported following a survey of farmers’ preparations for the spring crops sowing campaign for the 2024 harvest.
According to the report, 70% of respondents indicated that they plan to increase the area under soybeans by 21% on average compared to 2023.
The survey of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, conducted through the State Agrarian Register, showed that during the spring sowing season, Ukrainian farmers will prioritize pulses, which will increase by 11%, and spring barley – by 7%. The area under spring rapeseed is expected to increase by 24%, sugar beet by 17%, and corn by 9%. The area under sunflower may potentially decrease.
In general, in 2024, the area under spring crops may decrease by 0.5 million hectares or 3.7% compared to last season, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
On February 26, Khmelnytsky municipal enterprise Electrotrans announced its intention to conclude contracts with Grave Ukraine Insurance Company for voluntary insurance of land transport and compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles, according to the ProZorro electronic public procurement system.
Contracts will also be concluded for compulsory insurance against transport accidents, compulsory insurance of employees of departmental and rural fire protection and members of volunteer fire brigades (teams).
The total expected value of the procurement of services was UAH 1.336 million, and the company’s price offer amounted to UAH 1.335 million.
On April 10, 2008, INPRO Insurance Company became a member of the Austrian financial concern GRAWE (Grazer Wechselseitige Versicherung AG) and was renamed into PrJSC Insurance Company Grave Ukraine. The company’s regional network includes about 23 customer service centers in Ukraine.
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