Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would be desirable for the second peace summit to be held in one of the countries of the global south and said he had proposed to Prime Minister Narenda Modi that the summit be held in India.
“I do believe that the second world summit should be in one of the countries, preferably in the global south. And we are very open… I absolutely support and have said and shared this with Prime Minister Modi to hold a global peace summit in India,” Zelensky said in an interview with Indian media published on Sunday.
However, the president added that Ukraine could not “hold a peace summit in a country that has not yet joined the communiqué of the peace summit”, but this does not apply only to India, but to any state that was positive about the adoption of the second summit.
“I think you understand that. No one is pressuring anyone, but it is logical,” the Ukrainian head of state said.
The President recalled that the points in the communiqué adopted at the first peace summit concern energy, food security, as well as the return of Ukrainian children, and none of the points concern weapons.
Zelensky added that Ukraine will be happy if India joins the clause of the Peace Formula that deals with the return of children.
“So I think India can choose any of these points, join any of these points with a theme and can come with its vision, with its additional views and so on,” the president emphasized.
Commissioning of housing in Ukraine, mln sq m
Source: Open4Business.com.ua
Raiffeisen Bank (Kyiv) has installed the first solar power plant in a branch located in Obolon district of the capital as part of the implementation of autonomous power sources, the financial institution said on Thursday.
“The 15 kW power plant will ensure uninterrupted provision of financial services even during prolonged power outages. The transition to solar generation also helps to significantly reduce the cost of fuel, generator maintenance and capital repairs,” it said.
It is noted that solar power plants will be used as the main source of electricity and, according to experts, will pay off in 7 years.
Recently, the Ministry of Finance announced the installation of 118 solar roof panels with an area of 310 square meters with a total capacity of 60 kW at its capital office.
“Also, 2 heating stations were modernized, more than 2 km of pipelines were insulated, 558 public lighting fixtures and 42 outdoor lighting fixtures were replaced with more economical ones, more than 200 windows were modernized to reduce heat infiltration and a building energy monitoring system was introduced,” the Ministry of Finance said.
These changes are expected to reduce electricity consumption by 20% and save more than UAH 1.3 million per year.
The Ministry of Finance clarified that these measures were implemented with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) under the project “Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive in Ukraine”.
Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko added that the work on the energy efficiency of the administrative building is only the first of a number of activities in the framework of cooperation with partners. In particular, the Ministry of Finance plans to modernize the air conditioning and supply and exhaust ventilation systems, as well as to install an energy-efficient glass roof over the building’s atrium.
“After the implementation of all project steps, the building of the Ministry of Finance will become the first government building in Ukraine with a Class A energy efficiency certificate,” the Ministry emphasized in its release.
Lithuania is allocating EUR35 million to Ukraine for the purchase of radar and demining equipment, and plans to supply more than 5,000 Lithuanian-made drones by the end of the fall, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonite said.
“At our meeting today, I informed President Zelensky that the recent package of military assistance from Lithuania to Ukraine will arrive in early September. It will include 10 short-range air defense systems, 30 anti-submarine missiles and other equipment, weapons and ammunition. In addition, we are allocating 35 million euros for the purchase of radar and demining equipment,” Šimonite said at a press conference on Saturday.
“By the end of the fall, we hope to be able to provide more than 5,000 Lithuanian-made drones,” she added.
According to Šimonite, the Lithuanian government has pledged to spend at least a quarter of its GDP on defense and security assistance to Ukraine each year.
“My government will not only ensure but also exceed this plan. I hope that no matter what kind of government we have after the elections in October, it will remain committed to this goal,” she emphasized.
The Prime Minister added that a new package of equipment to help restore Ukraine’s energy sector is also coming. In addition, Lithuania will continue to support Ukraine’s recovery with a focus on the education and healthcare sectors.
“Today, another kindergarten in Borodyanka, which Lithuania helped to restore, has opened and is ready to welcome Ukrainian children. In response to President Zelenskyy’s request, we will also help three hospitals in Zhytomyr, Dnipro and Lviv regions,” Šimonite said.
Passenger flow through western border of Ukraine in April 2024, thousand
Source: Open4Business.com.ua
In the first half of 2024, state-owned Ukrposhta increased its revenue by 10.6% year-on-year to UAH 6 billion 170.2 million, while reducing its net loss by 34.5% to UAH 428.1 million.
According to the reports published in the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the company’s gross profit in the first half of 2024 increased 16.6 times – from UAH 31.1 million to UAH 550.6 million, while operating loss decreased by 43.6% to UAH 420.9 million.
In the first half of the year, national postal services accounted for the largest share of total revenues – UAH 3 billion 587.6 million (+19.5%), including the delivery of parcels and small packages – UAH 1 billion 895.2 million (+19.8%), written correspondence – UAH 741.8 million (+11.1%), international postal exchange – UAH 614.4 million (+34.5%), and subscriptions and delivery of periodicals – UAH 141.5 million (+36.5%).
Financial and related services brought Ukrposhta UAH 2 billion 203 million (+5.4%), including payment and delivery of pensions – UAH 1 billion 435.7 million (+0.1%), payment acceptance – UAH 561.8 million (+12.9%) and postal transfers – UAH 156.4 million (+19.5%).
Revenues from trading in the company’s own and commission goods decreased by 22.4% to UAH 377.8 million in the first half of the year.
It is noted that investment expenditures on non-current assets increased by 31.8% to UAH 312.1 billion.
It is specified that as of June 30, 2024, funds on demand and deposits in the amount of UAH 2 billion 105.7 million (as of December 31, 2022 – UAH 2 billion 275.1 million) were placed in three large Ukrainian state-owned banks.
It is noted that as of the middle of this year, the company’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by UAH 3.49 billion, while at the beginning of the year they were UAH 3.01 billion.
According to the report, as of June 30, the company had about 28.84 thousand points of presence in Ukraine and 33.64 thousand employees.
It is emphasized that the company is gradually adapting to the difficult conditions by improving its business processes and investing in automation and continuous operations. In particular, by the end of the third quarter of 2024, it plans to complete the transition to automated parcel sorting and implement a new Track & Trace system.
“A special priority for the company is to prepare for a difficult winter in the face of possible blackouts. We are purchasing additional materials and equipment for heating, power supply and communications, including additional 3-in-1 devices for the network. The new BePost front-end system is being scaled up, and IT systems are being finalized to enable offline operation,” Ukrposhta said.
The company noted that it sees these measures not only as additional critical investments in continuity, but also as a potential opportunity to increase service volumes in the event of power outages.
According to its management, taking into account the probability of possible scenarios, Ukrposhta’s cash flows from operating activities for the 12 months to the end of the second quarter of 2025 are positive. The company has additionally assessed potential risks of its operations, primarily such as a shortfall in revenues from postal and financial areas during blackouts and additional costs for the winter.
“The corresponding stress test of the liquidity forecast demonstrates that the company will be able to continue to meet its obligations to creditors and complete key investment projects in the foreseeable future,” the report says.
As reported, in the first quarter of 2024, Ukrposhta increased its revenue by 10.1% to UAH 3.05 billion, reducing its net loss by 2.1 times to UAH 190.3 million.
