Decree No. 529/2025 appointed Andriy Plakhotniuk Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Canada and Permanent Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Plakhotniuk served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Sweden since 2021. Previously, he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in particular in the Department of International Organizations and embassies abroad.
He holds a PhD in Political Science and is fluent in several foreign languages. Andriy Plakhotniuk is known for his active position in promoting Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration and strengthening bilateral cooperation in defense and high technology.
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Canada were established on January 27, 1992.
Ukraine has one of the largest Ukrainian embassies in the world in Canada, and more than 1.3 million Ukrainians and their descendants live in the country.
Foreigners’ interest in purchasing premium housing in Ukraine for investment purposes is gradually recovering, developers told Interfax-Ukraine.
“Interest from foreign citizens has recovered, and in some cases, such as our projects, the number of deals with foreigners exceeds the number of deals with Ukrainians. Our clients include Spaniards, Japanese, Canadians, and others who are investing in business and premium class properties with a clear focus on the future. They see potential in both long-term rentals and growth in value,” said Irina Mikhaleva, CMO of Alliance Novobud.
According to Susanna Karakhanian, sales director at Greenville, foreign clients are considering both investment purchases and homes for themselves, but are postponing their purchases until safer times.
“Interest from non-residents has partially recovered recently. We are seeing a trend where foreigners regularly visit apartments, but are not buying yet — deferred demand, waiting for stabilization in Ukraine,” she explained.
Although the apartments of the Odessa developer “Two Academics” are mainly purchased by local residents (up to 60% of customers), the share of deals with foreign investors has increased over the past year and a half, the company said.
“In terms of geography, 55-60% are local residents, in our case Odessa. Up to 30% are from other cities in Ukraine. However, over the past year, these figures have begun to change with the emergence of foreign investors. For the period 2024-2025, 35% of deals are being made with foreign investors: the UAE, Slovakia, Turkey, Italy, the US, Greece, Israel, and Romania,” said Maxim Odintsov, development director of the construction company Dva Akademika.
In addition, foreigners continue to show interest in Ukrainian residential projects where foreign companies are involved as partners, according to RIEL.
“We have projects that foreigners are quite interested in. For example, Maxima Residence has traditionally attracted foreigners, particularly Turkish citizens. This is because it is a joint project between RIEL and Turkish developer Bosphorus Development,” explained Zoryana Zemlinska, sales coordinator at RIEL in Kyiv.
At the same time, KAN Development noted that the share of foreigners among buyers remains insignificant, and demand for premium housing is largely recovering due to people who invested before the war.
“The share of foreigners among buyers remains insignificant. These are mainly those who are considering investing with the expectation of a minimal cost of entry into the market,” the developer’s press service said in response to a request from Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Alexander Nasikovsky, managing partner of the DIM group of companies, Ukrainians who have been living abroad for a long time have appeared in the structure of demand for premium housing.
“We are observing the following trend: some buyers who have free funds are deliberately not taking them abroad, but are ‘parking’ them in real estate with a view to future price growth and preservation of asset value. As for foreign citizens, we do not see any activity on their part for reasons that are understandable to everyone. However, there is a small share of Ukrainians who have been living abroad for a long time,” the businessman noted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed Decree No. 518/2025 on the appointment of Oleksandr Voronin as Ukraine’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.
Official diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Algeria were established in 1992. The Ukrainian Embassy in Algeria has been active since the early 2000s, developing cooperation in trade, education and energy.
Alexander Voronin has experience in the diplomatic system of Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Mykola Doroshenko from the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Uzbekistan by decree No. 506/2025.
At the moment the decree on appointment of a new ambassador to this post has not been published. Thus, the diplomatic mission of Ukraine in Tashkent temporarily remains without a head.
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Uzbekistan were established in 1992.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed Decree No. 523/2025 on the appointment of Andriy Kasyanov as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Angola.
Prior to his appointment to Luanda, Andrii Kasyanov served as Charge d’Affaires of Ukraine in Germany. He is a career diplomat, having worked in the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, as well as in Ukrainian diplomatic missions in West Africa and Central Europe. He is known for his participation in negotiations on humanitarian and economic issues, as well as for projects to develop bilateral ties with the countries of the Global South.
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Angola were established in 1992. The Embassy of Ukraine in Angola was opened later as part of the strategy to expand Ukraine’s presence in Africa. Today, areas of cooperation include the agricultural sector, education, medical equipment, and participation in UN peacekeeping initiatives.
Kasyanov’s appointment demonstrates Kyiv’s intention to intensify ties with Angola, one of the largest economies on the African continent, and strengthen political dialogue, including through support for Ukraine on international platforms.
Dniprometiz-TAS LLC (Dnipro) of Ukrainian businessman Serhiy Tihipko plans to build a new $4m hot-dip galvanizing line for steel wire, the company presented the project at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) held in Rome on July 10-12.
According to the company’s information in the URC project catalog, the project involves the construction of a new hot-dip galvanizing line to improve operational efficiency and optimize energy consumption, is a diversification of production of highly profitable products through the manufacture of high-quality fine (0.7-1.6 mm) and medium-diameter (1.8-5.0 mm) wire, including low-carbon, medium- and high-carbon steel grades.
The capacity of the plant is 24 thousand tons per year. New energy-saving equipment is used for the furnace and zinc bath. The project’s strengths include lower production costs, improved space efficiency, increased production capacity, and strategic investment in the cable industry.
The target market is European, North American, Middle Eastern.
The project is 100% ready for realization: pre-project planning has been completed, infrastructure has been developed (workshop, power plant and other facilities), detailed technical, production and market analyses have been performed, there is production of semi-finished wire products.
The project will result in a change in product mix from relatively low-margin fencing wires to high-margin products for the cable industry. The model focuses on efficiency by phasing out old lines with the goal of reaching an annual production capacity of 24,000 tons with an average diameter of 1.6 mm.
The total project budget is $4 million, with $2 million to be raised. Expected financials: net present value (NPV) of $1.5 million, revenue in 2030 of $1.4 million, EBITDA in 2030 of $0.9 million.
The project startup period is three years.
Through 2025, it will invest $0.1 million in concept development, require $1.5 million in design funding this year, $2 million in 2026 and $0.4 million in 2027 for construction. In 2027 is the start of operations.
