Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has warned Germany against participation in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, suggesting, as an alternative, the modernization of a transit gas pipeline passing through Ukrainian territory.
In an interview with German business newspaper Handelsblatt, extracts from which were published by the Ukrainian service of Deutsche Welle, Poroshenko noted that Nord Stream 2 was a political project that is financed by Russia and has no economic justification.
“Nord Stream 2 is a political bribe for loyalty to Russia, imposing an economic and energy blockade on Ukraine, which will hurt us greatly,” he said.
According to him, an alternative solution is the modernization of the existing transit gas pipeline that passes through Ukraine. Poroshenko also said that the development of the gas transportation infrastructure in Ukraine would not require multibillion investments.
On March 27, Nord Stream 2 AG received the permit for the construction and operation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline system in the German exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is to pass across the Baltic Sea, connecting Russian suppliers with European consumers at over 1,200 km in length. The pipeline will have capacity for 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The project has an estimated cost of almost 10 billion euros. Gazprom’s partners in the project are Engie, OMV, Shell and two German companies BASF and Uniper.
In early April, the Verkhovna Rada urged foreign parliaments, governments and the international business community not to participate in the preparation, financing or lobbying of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Ukraine’s foreign minister has been invited for the first time to a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G7 countries, which will begin in Toronto, Canada, on April 22, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko has told Ukrainian Internet newspaper Yevropeiska Pravda. He confirmed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin had received an invitation to the meeting from his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland.
“The time has come for serious, strategic decisions on Ukraine and Russia… We are happy that Ukraine will be able to join the difficult but critically needed conversation, and we hope to make a valuable contribution to future joint decisions,” Shevchenko said.
According to him, Ukraine hopes that this conversation will be continued at the upcoming summit of G7 leaders, which will be held in the Canadian region of Charlevoix (Quebec) in June.
Ukraine as of Friday, April 6, had sowed 138,000 hectares with grain and leguminous crops, or 6% of the forecast, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to information on its website, spring grains are sown in 13 regions.
In particular, spring wheat was planted on 2,000 hectares, or 1% of the plan, spring barley on 82,000 ha (5%), oats on 3,000 ha (1%), and peas on 51,000 ha (12%).
Fertilization of winter crops for grain is continuing: nutrients have been used on an area of 4.5 million hectares (62% of the forecast).
A survey of winter grains for the 2018 harvest shows that out from the seeded 7.3 million ha, seedlings were obtained on 99.7% of the areas, of which 6.4 million hectares (89%) are in a good and satisfactory state, while those on 816,500 hectares (11%) are weak and thick.
Winter crops for grain for the harvest of 2018 have been sown on an area of 7.3 million hectares, or 101% of the area under the 2017 harvest. In particular, wheat was sown on 6.3 million hectares, or 103% of the target, barley on 800,000 hectares, or 94%, rye on 149,400 hectares, or 88%. In addition, winter rapeseeds for grain have been sown on an area of one million hectares or 112%
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has permitted Dragon Capital investment company via NUF Equity Investments Limited to acquire 50% in UPG Food Holdings Limited (both based in Nicosia, Cyprus), which owns a large turkey meat producer.
The committee also permitted NUF Equity Investments Limited and Dytchi-Invest Limited to fulfill the conditions of a draft agreement on the sale and purchase of shares, which will be signed between the two companies to restrain competition for the period of five years.
Dragon Capital has not yet commented on the deal.
UPG Food Holdings Limited, which beneficiaries are Yulia and Volodymyr Dutchak, owns the group of companies UPG-Invest founded in 2002. It is engaged in growing turkey and producing meat under the Siayvir trademark. It includes several production complexes with a total area of about 60,000 square meters, a slaughterhouse and equipment for cooling and instant freezing of meat. The production capacity is 12,000 tonnes of meat per year.
The UPG-Invest Group has owned the Abo-Mix fodder plant since 2014. Its capacity is 12,000 of granulated fodder a year for all types of household animals and birds. The products are made under Agro Gold Mix trademark and sold in Ukraine and the EU.
Public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia saw a 2.6-fold rise in net profit in 2017, to UAH 30.473 billion (around $1.16 billion).
According to a report of the company audited by Deloitte and posted on its website, net revenue in 2017 grew by 36.4%, to UAH 75.092 billion, and gross profit soared 2.2-fold, to UAH 42.062 billion.
Ukrgazvydobuvannia saw a 37.4% rise in revenue from natural gas and oil sales in the amount of UAH 67.351 billion, and a 44.1% rise in fuel sales, to UAH 5.151 billion, a 36.8% rise in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sales, to UAH 1.823 billion, a 53.7% fall in provision of fossil fuel production and preparation services, to UAH 321.959 million and a 7.95 rise in sales of other goods and provision of other services, to UAH 446.187 million.
Ukrgazvydobuvannia, which is wholly owned by NSJC Naftogaz Ukrainy, is a large gas processing company, which accounts for about 75% of total gas output in the country.
It operates Shebelynka gas refinery, Yablunivske department to process gas, Bazylivschyna condensate stabilization unit, and 19 filling stations in Kharkiv region. The latter sells fuel and liquefied gas of its own production. Shebelynka gas refinery started production of petrol and diesel fuel of Euro 5 emission standard in 2018.
