The upper house of the U.S. Congress (Senate) has passed a bill to provide aid to Ukraine. There were 79 votes in favor.
The law is to be signed by US President Joe Biden in the near future.
As reported, the bill approved on April 22 by the lower house of the US Congress (House of Representatives) provides for the allocation of almost $61 billion for purposes related to the support of Ukraine.
In addition to assistance to Ukraine, the package also includes $26 billion in aid to Israel, $8 billion to support US allies in the Indo-Pacific, as well as provisions for new sanctions against Russia, China, and Iran and the US President’s authority to use frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine.
April 23 President Zelenskyy has a phone conversation with US President Joseph Biden, during which Biden assures him that if the bill is approved by the Senate, he will immediately sign it into law.
The White House website confirms Biden’s words that his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages for Ukraine in combat and air defense as soon as the Senate passes the supplemental national security package and he signs it into law.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it clear that Ukraine would receive long-range ATACMS missiles as part of the US aid package. “And today’s result is that all the dots have been dotted in the ATACMS agreement for Ukraine. Thank you, Mr. President! Thank you, Congress! Thank you, America!” he said in a video message on Monday.
The provision of missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers has been a request of Kyiv for the past year, but the US administration has constantly postponed the issue. The missiles are provided for in a congressional resolution passed on Saturday, but it contains a reference to the administration’s ability to refuse to deliver them if it is in the national security interest.
On April 18, 2024, “BLACK SEA GRAIN. KYIV” – one of the largest grain forums in Ukraine, which provides exclusive analytics of the agricultural market from world experts, discusses global macroeconomic and regional trends, long-term forecasts, effective communication and contacts with international industry leaders.
The event brought together hundreds of leading international producers and processors of grains and oilseeds, traders, agricultural holdings, banks and investment funds, trading exchanges, government representatives and industry associations, logistics, brokerage, insurance, surveying, legal and other companies.
The opening remarks were delivered by Sergiy Feofilov, CEO of UkrAgroConsult, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Immediately after the greetings, the “HARD TALK” started on the topic: Future EU agricultural policy (Green Deal, Deforestation Law). Impact on the production of grains and oilseeds in the EU and Ukraine and margins/profitability of farmers.
The panel was moderated by Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation.
The President of the UAC outlined the situation on the grain market in the extremely difficult conditions of the war and emphasized such important issues as transport and logistics, problems of financial support for agricultural market participants, European integration processes and challenges.
Leonid Kozachenko also emphasized the importance of river navigation, in particular, the importance of rebuilding the Kakhovka dam and building more modern locks than those that existed before.
Oleh Khomenko, CEO of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, focused on trade barriers and disputes and negotiations with Poland and the EU.
The UCAB CEO noted: “Yesterday, in an interview, the Polish president said that there is an American farmer in Ukraine, that our land owners are Americans. How absurd is it that such issues are discussed at the level of presidents? And yet everyone realizes that this is not the case. If we are talking about large agricultural companies, if we analyze our market structure in the State Statistics Committee, we have only 10% of land in large agricultural companies.”
He added that there are important events to come in the EU, such as the European Parliamentary elections and the appointment of a new European Commission. In addition to this, the EU Council presidency will be assumed by Hungary in July and Poland in January.
Volodymyr Pugachev, Executive and Regional Director for Eastern Europe of the Danube Soybean Association, spoke about the innovations in the EU for soybean producers.
“The supply of soybeans or its products to the European Union from January 1, 2025 (pay attention here, as it already affects this year’s harvest, which will be) will require a traceability certificate along with the geo-coordinates of the field and confirmation of the absence of deforestation… That is, it is necessary to somehow confirm that after 2020 there was no deforestation on the field where the soybeans imported to the EU were grown.
In practice, this means a change in the whole classical approach to the supply of agricultural products, as they cease to be a “bulk commodity” and require full traceability, what is called “hard identity preservation.”
“The main problem is that the European bureaucracy has not been able to introduce clear implementation rules so far,” said Pugachev about the EU EUDR regulation.
Mykola Gorbachev, President of the Ukrainian Grain Association, spoke about logistical problems and solutions and predicted the price situation on the grain market: “We predict that we will harvest somewhere around 76-77 million tons of grains and oilseeds next year. This is a bit less, of course, than before. Our forecast is based on the fact that weather factors will not be as favorable as last season. We forecast exports of grains and oilseeds at around 43 million tons. This season, we forecast about 53 million tons, which means we will have a 10 million ton decrease – 6 million tons less corn and 4 million tons less wheat exports. Soybeans will increase slightly, and other crops will increase slightly. Due to this decrease, I think that the norms set by Europe for us will be enough for us to trade corn with Europe within the limits without additional costs.
Our forecast is that the price will increase slightly. At the end of the season, we will see that the price will go up a bit in Ukraine. By the end of May, Ukraine will be able to export almost all of its stocks, and in June we will have almost nothing. The global price will go up a bit. In Europe, the yields will be lower. That’s why prices will be a bit better for our farmers.”
The prime ministers of Croatia and Greece may run for the presidency of the European Commission, German newspaper Bild reports, citing EU sources. “As an EU insider told BILD, two possible alternatives have already been proposed. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (56, a powerful and influential member of the European People’s Party) and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic (54, won the internal elections this week) have expressed interest,” the Bild article says.
In March of this year, the European People’s Party voted to support European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for the post of European Commission President.
The President of the European Commission is appointed by the European Parliament, the elections to which will be held on June 6-9 this year.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted as a basis the bill №9083, providing for deregulation and detenization of the market of trade in used vehicles, said the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy Daniil Hetmantsev.
“Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis the bill №9083 the initiator of which I am,” he wrote in his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
Getmantsev recalled that the market of used cars before the war was 1.7 million cars per year, in 2023 – 780 thousand.
“This year we expect 1.5 million and only 2.5% of this is sold in white. From the sale of a car in the “white” the state receives an average of 19.8 thousand UAH. From the sale in the “black” – 0″, – he wrote.
At the same time, the head of the parliamentary Committee reminds that for the work of the “white” market there is a hindrance – the requirement of additional registration of the car on the intermediary “with a bunch of unnecessary certificates”.
“The abolition of meaningless state registration of used cars by the trading organization on itself, even if it buys them as goods for resale – will be a pledge for the withdrawal of the market from the shadow, the expansion of the activities of “white” auto traders and the elimination of schemes by which the budget underpays taxes,” – commented the bill Getmantsev.
As reported, the bill № 9063 on the abolition of state registration of used cars on trade organizations that buy them as a commodity for further sale, registered in the Rada on March 6, 2023.
Among its co-authors are Hetmantsev, MPs Yaroslav Zheleznyak (Golos faction), Maryana Bezuglaya, Yevhen Bragar (“Servant of the People”), Dmytro Razumkov (non-faction).
Official car importers and dealers noted that deregulation of the used car trade market will not lead to an increase in prices, as the official market dictates prices and no one will pay more than a car costs.
France, India and Greece are openly arming Armenia, and Baku will take serious measures if the situation poses a threat to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said.
“We cannot just sit and wait. We have clearly communicated our position to the Armenian government and the parties that are trying to take care of Armenia today. If we see a serious threat to ourselves, we will have to take serious measures,” Aliyev said on Tuesday at a meeting in Baku with participants of the international forum “COP29 and Green Vision for Azerbaijan” organized at the ADA University.
The President noted: “France, India and Greece are openly arming Armenia and are trying to prove something to Azerbaijan in this way.
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank created a video analysis of the post-war situation in the Caucasus – https://youtu.be/reyUMjFBFhU?si=qpqLleFVqZJ30GuV
In response to the growing need for comprehensive support for wounded who have been seriously injured in the war zone, a modern rehabilitation hub is being built in Kyiv. This project was implemented thanks to the cooperation of the Center for Saving Lives, the Association of Osteo-Integrative Prosthetics and the Aesculab Laboratories network.
“Our center was created to provide our military with the best possible assistance in recovering from severe injuries. We provide not only physical rehabilitation with the help of modern equipment, but also psychological support,” said Vyacheslav Zaporozhets, director of the Center for Saving Lives charitable foundation.
According to him, the project is unique in that it uses not only the most advanced technologies for physical rehabilitation, but also creates conditions for social adaptation and moral recovery of the military.
“We want every wounded soldier who has undergone amputation to be able to return to a full life,” emphasized Mr. Zaporozhets.
In his turn, co-founder of the Aesculab laboratory, Serhiy Dyadyushko, also noted the importance of the work for the veterans’ recovery.
“The network of laboratories “Esculab” is not only about business. We are honored to be a part of this project. Our participation is not limited to financing; we are also actively involved in the process of education and training of specialists, which allows us to maintain a high level of services provided at the center,” he emphasized.
The center will be equipped to the highest standards, including anti-gravity walkways and group exercise spaces that allow patients to feel comfortable and safe during their rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation center is being built on a 500-square-meter area and includes a modern walking laboratory, a wrestling room, a cardio zone, a strength training zone, a dental office, two physiotherapy rooms, a meditation and sleep room, an occupational therapy kitchen, a mini shooting range, locker rooms and showers, etc. The center can accommodate 30 patients at a time.
The project is part of a larger initiative aimed at creating a network of similar centers across the country to ensure access to high-quality rehabilitation services for all victims.
“Eskulab is a network of medical laboratories of international quality of diagnostic tests based in Lviv and has one of the largest networks of branches in Ukraine. The network includes more than 100 sampling points in the cities and towns of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Rivne, Volyn regions and Kyiv. “Eskulab provides patients with the opportunity to take tests at their place of residence and receive highly accurate results. In February 2020, Eskulab Medical Laboratory underwent a voluntary assessment of its measurement capabilities in accordance with the requirements of DSTU ISO 10012:2005 “Measurement management systems. Requirements for measurement processes and measuring equipment” to confirm technical competence and received a Certificate of Conformity of the measurement management system. Today, Eskulab performs more than 820 types of laboratory tests.
You can learn more about the initiative to build a rehabilitation hub in the video on the Experts Club YouTube channel here:
Esculab, EXPERTS CLUB, MEDICAL_AID, MEDICINE, REHABILITATION, SERGIY_DYADYUSHKO, TYTANOVI, VYACHESLAV_ZAPOROZHETS
