The IT Ukraine association notes the high resilience of the in the conditions of the active phase of hostilities.
“According to our new data, already during the war, 77% of IT companies attracted new customers, and 56% of them expect growth of 5-30% this year,” IT Ukraine Executive Director Kostiantyn Vasiuk said.
IT Ukraine stressed that in the new military realities, the industry managed to consolidate and quickly reformat thanks to anti-crisis business plans.
“Most companies have retained customers and the volume of their contracts. Thanks to this, the industry remains financially stable, provides regular foreign exchange earnings to the Ukrainian economy and the state budget, and pays taxes in advance,” the association notes.
Thus, according to the data provided by IT Ukraine (with reference to the NBU data), in March 2022, the Ukrainian IT industry retained 96% of the volume of exports of computer services ($522 million) compared to the same period last year ($546 million).
“The war-driven decline in foreign exchange earnings in March by only 38% compared to the record growth rate in February ($839 million), as well as the 50-60% fall in other export industries, demonstrates, in fact, the margin of stability of the IT industry,” the association said.
IT Ukraine also noted that, according to the National Bank of Ukraine, the export IT industry provided a record $2 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2022, despite martial law, mobilization, forced relocation of businesses and teams.
The same indicator in 2021 amounted to $1.44 billion. In fact, the volume of IT exports increased by 28%.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Germany and France stand together on the side of Ukraine.
“Germany and France stand together for Ukraine as part of the European family. We stand for a European Union that stands for peace and freedom, for democracy and the rule of law,” Scholz wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night.
The Cabinet of Ministers has determined three checkpoints for the movement of cars purchased abroad: “Ustilug” and “Grushev” on the Polish border and “Maly Berezny” on the Slovak one.
The corresponding order of the Cabinet of Ministers dated May 3, 2022 No. 354-r was published on the government portal.
As reported, since April 25, Ukraine has limited the number of checkpoints for the import of cars with foreign registration for their own needs. The crossing of such vehicles became available at the Ugrinov, Grushev, Smelnitsa and Ustilug checkpoints (on the Polish border), as well as through Maly Berezny on the Slovak border and through Davinkovoe and Kosino on the Hungarian border. This decision was due to the appearance of queues at checkpoints after the Verkhovna Rada removed the need to pay customs duties, VAT and excise for such imports.
On Thursday, May 12, the UN Human Rights Council will hold its 34th special meeting dedicated to the deterioration of the human rights situation in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression.
“It is being convened in accordance with the official request filed today by Ukraine and supported so far by 53 states,” the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on its website on Monday.
The Office recalls that the convening of an extraordinary session requires the support of one third of the 47 members of the Council – 16 or more. To date, the following Council Member States have supported this request (16): Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.
They were also joined by the following Observer States (37): Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
Specific details of the special session and its scenario will be discussed at a public meeting on May 11, UNHCHR clarifies.
The Office recalled that during the 49th regular session of the Human Rights Council on March 3 and 4, 2022, the Council held an emergency discussion on the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine, after which it decided to establish an independent international commission to investigate all alleged human rights violations in the context of such aggression.
The United States will temporarily suspend the 25% duty on Ukrainian steel imposed by President Trump under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 for 12 months, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said.
“For steel mills to continue to be an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel. Today’s announcement is a signal to the Ukrainian people that we are committed to helping them stand up in the face of Putin’s aggression,” the minister said on the ministry’s website. .
The report states that each of the 13 Ukrainians is employed in the steel industry of Ukraine, and their work is well paid.
“We are talking about stopping the 25% tariffs imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration,” Yulia Sviridenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, commented on the decision of the US Department of Commerce.
According to her, the Ministry of Economy has been working on this project for several years.
“The abolition of these duties will be a turning point in trade relations between Ukraine and the United States,” she stressed.
According to the State Statistics Service, in 2021, the export of ferrous metals from Ukraine to the United States increased by 50.5% compared to the previous year – up to $70.76 million, and ferrous metal products – 11 times, up to $16.85 million. In total, these two articles accounted for 55.4% of all exports from Ukraine.
The US Department of Commerce also recalled that some of Ukraine’s largest steel mills have suffered the most from Putin’s barbarism, and Azovstal in Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine’s determination to resist Russian aggression. The agency added that many Ukrainian steel mills continued to pay workers, feed and shelter their employees during the fighting, and some resumed production despite nearby fighting.
“Creating export opportunities for these factories is essential to their ability to continue hiring and supporting one of Ukraine’s most important industries,” the statement said.
It also states that following the sanctions, U.S. exports to Russia of categories of goods subject to new U.S. export licensing requirements decreased by 97% in value terms compared to the same period in 2021 (February 24-April 29), and total exports fell by about 79%.
On Monday, May 9, US President Joseph Biden signed Law S. 3522 “The Lend-Lease Act for the Defense of Democracy in Ukraine of 2022”.
White House spokeswoman Angela Perez announced this on Twitter.
The description of the document on the website of Congress says that this law will give the US administration the right to provide military equipment to Ukraine and other countries of Eastern Europe during the 2023 fiscal year.
The bill was previously passed in the Senate and the US House of Representatives.
