At a briefing on Tuesday, April 15, US President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, said that she was not aware of the president’s plans to visit Ukraine.
“I haven’t actually spoken to the president about it, whether he has seen Zelensky’s proposal. I’m sure he has. I did not talk to him about it. I can ask him what he thinks. However, I certainly don’t have any plans that I could share about a potential trip to Ukraine,” Levitt said in response to a journalist’s question.
As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Trump to visit Ukraine before adopting a “peace plan.”
Ukrainian State Postal Communications Enterprise (USPS) Ukrposhta (Kiev) on April 10 announced a tender for services of mandatory insurance of drivers against transport accidents, 5 thousand people, according to the electronic public procurement system Prozorro.
According to the system, the expected cost of the purchase of services is UAH 2.160 million. The deadline for submission of proposals for the tender is May 12. As reported, the winner of a similar tender a year earlier was IC Expo-Insurance.
After a two-year pause, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) will put up lots of scrap metal in the Prozorro. Sales in mid-May, according to Yevhen Shramko, a member of the company’s board.
“If everything goes according to plan, in mid-May you will see the first lots (of scrap metal – IF-U) in Prozorro. Sale… We are aiming for May 15,” Shramko said at a meeting with potential buyers of scrap metal in Kyiv on Tuesday.
According to him, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to sell about 70,000 tons of scrap metal at the first stage.
According to the presentation at the meeting, the total amount of available scrap available for sale is 159.5 thousand tons.
Earlier it was reported that in early April, the Cabinet of Ministers allowed Ukrzaliznytsia to independently decide on the disposal of property with a book value of less than UAH 500 million, so the company will be able to start selling scrap metal and crushed stone.
The Ministry of Communities and Territories Development reported that Ukrzaliznytsia will be able to sell more than 218.6 thousand tons of ferrous scrap for UAH 1.6 billion, 3.8 thousand tons of non-ferrous scrap and alloys for UAH 233.4 million.
In 2023, Ukrzaliznytsia held more than 100 successful electronic auctions for the sale of scrap and 47 auctions for the lease of property assets. The company received more than UAH 535 million in additional revenue from the sale of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap alone.
In September 2023, a government decree canceled the procedure for alienating Ukrzaliznytsia’s property by decision of the company’s board. The sale of property, including scrap metal, and lease were to be carried out only with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. However, the new resolution did not specify the procedure for government approval of such decisions.
To address this issue, the company initiated amendments to the resolution in December 2023.
In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, former Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Yevhen Lyashchenko said that the company’s scrap stocks amounted to 184,000 tons at the beginning of 2023.
The company resumed holding scrap auctions in 2022 and offered to sell part of the scrap for export at foreign market prices. The company officially addressed the government with proposals to adjust the procedure for managing its property, according to which it proposed to allow the sale of some scrap to major global producers of mining and metals products under direct bilateral agreements without duty.
In addition, the company submitted a list of nearly 40 foreign companies that might be interested in the proposal.
The GastroFamily franchise chain has opened its fourth Bilyi Nalyv ciderery in Poland, the brand reported on its Instagram.
“The Ukrainian ciderery Bilyi Nalyv has started working in the Polish city of Lodz. The bar is located on the main street of the city – Piotrkowska, also known as Pietrina,” the network informed.
According to the report, the establishment operates on a franchise basis. Eldar’s franchisee is from Vinnytsia. Back in 2023, he and his partners opened the first Bilyi Nalyv in Europe, and in 2025, he and his wife decided to open their own bar in Lodz.
Like other establishments of this format, the ciderhouse in Łódź has a lot of neon and dark wood in its interior. A summer terrace will soon appear. DJ parties will be held here every Friday and Saturday.
“Bily Nalyv in Lodz is the fourth establishment of the chain in Poland: bars also operate in Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Gdansk. The chain promises to open another location in Poland in the fall.
GastroFamily unites almost 65 establishments. GastroFamily launched its international franchise in 2022, with 15 brands available: “Bilyi Nalyv, BPSh, Chicken Kyiv, Mushlya, Varenyky Now, Oxota na Ovets, etc.
According to a study by the Ukrainian restaurant automation company Poster POS, the GastroFamily franchise chain opened 7 restaurants in Ukraine and 2 in Poland in 2024.
“The year started with the Borsuk restaurant in Lukianivka, Kyiv, which was hit by a blast wave five days before the opening and damaged its equipment. They quickly replaced the windows, repaired the damage, and continued to operate. Then they opened six Bilyi Nalyv bars in Ukraine (Bila Tserkva, Lutsk, Rivne, Irpin, two in Kyiv) and two in Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk),” the study says.
According to the Bilyi Nalyv cideries chain on its Instagram, it celebrated its seventh anniversary on April 1, 2025. During this time, the sommeliers of the establishments have bottled “tons of cider, hugged thousands of guests and created hundreds of reasons for smiles.”
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has resigned, according to Politika. The reasons for the resignation are not specified, but it comes amid ongoing tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.
Relations between Serbia and Kosovo: historical context
Kosovo, formerly an autonomous region within Serbia, unilaterally declared independence on February 17, 2008. Serbia did not recognize this independence and continues to consider Kosovo its territory.
The conflict between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo escalated in 1998, leading to armed confrontation. In 1999, after NATO intervention and the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops,
Kosovo came under UN administration. Since then, the region has been the subject of international negotiations and disputes.
Biography of Albin Kurti
Albin Kurti was born on March 24, 1975 in Pristina. He graduated from the University of Pristina with a degree in Computer Science and Telecommunications. In 1997, he became the vice president of the student union and an organizer of peaceful protests against the Serbian government.
During the conflict in Kosovo, Kurti was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released in 2001. In 2005, he founded the Self-Determination movement (Vetëvendosje), which advocates for the full independence of Kosovo.
He first became prime minister in February 2020, but his government was overthrown a few months later. In March 2021, he became prime minister again and held the position until his resignation in April 2025.
Albin Kurti’s resignation could affect the further development of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as the internal political situation in the entire region.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/822
In 2025-2026 marketing year, the export of rapeseed from Ukraine may decrease to the lowest level since 2022-2023 MY and will amount to about 2.7-2.8 mln tonnes, down 13% compared to the current season, according to APK-Inform news agency.
The analysts noted that the reason for such a decrease is the expected decrease in oilseed production, as well as a possible increase in demand from the processing industry.
According to experts, in 2025, the production of rapeseed in Ukraine may decrease to the lowest level since 2022 due to the reduction of winter crops area as a result of moisture deficit in the fall of 2024 and poor wintering of crops in a number of major crop producing regions. In addition, cold weather, frosts and snow in the first decade of April may significantly worsen the situation.
According to APK-Inform estimates, the planted areas under rapeseed are 1.34 mln ha (-4%), while the harvested area may not exceed 1.17 mln ha (-10%) and may be even lower due to unfavorable weather conditions. The forecast of oilseed production in 2025 is about 3.35-3.4 mln tons (-8%).
As for the distribution of rapeseed in the new season, analysts believe that the situation will largely depend on the tariff policy of China and the US.
“We are currently witnessing the deterioration of trade relations between the US and China, the US and Canada, and between China and Canada, which will lead to the redistribution of trade flows of canola and processed products, and may change farmers’ plans for sowing this crop in major regions,” the agency said.
Several countries may try to replace Canadian oil and meal on the Chinese market by increasing production of rapeseed/canola, but the question is in the timing – the products are already in short supply and China needs to increase supplies now, not in the new season.
Due to the trade wars, China is expected to increase its demand for Ukrainian rapeseed oil and meal in the new season, which may increase domestic processing, but it will depend on the ratio of the cost of raw materials and oil on the Ukrainian market. In addition, it may be more difficult for Ukrainian companies to build up stocks, as farmers are in no hurry to sell raw materials under forward contracts.
“The trade may remain weak until the impact of frost and snow on the oilseeds in a number of European countries and in Ukraine in particular is assessed. It is also important to keep in mind that if the situation with tariffs does not change before the new season and all duties for Canada remain in force, Canadian canola may increase its presence on the European market, and, therefore, the window for the Ukrainian oilseed remains limited to the first half of the season,” APK-Inform summarized.
