Current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky would receive the most support in the presidential elections if they were held in the near future. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the sociological service of the Razumkov Center.
So, among those who plan to take part in the elections and have decided on a candidate, 28% of those polled are ready to vote for Zelensky in the first round of elections (20% among all respondents). Fifth President of Ukraine, leader of the European Solidarity Party Petro Poroshenko is in the second place with the support of 18% of respondents (12.5% of all respondents), leader of the Opposition Platform – For Life Party Yuriy Boiko is in the third place with the support of 14.5% and 11% of respondents, respectively.
Leader of the All-Ukrainian association Batkivschyna Yulia Tymoshenko would be supported by 10.5% among those who made their choice and 8% among all respondents, leader of the Strength and Honor party Ihor Smeshko is supported by 6% and 4%, respectively.
Some 3% of determined respondents (2% among all respondents) would vote for leader of the Ukrainian Strategy of Volodymyr Groisman party, and 3% (2% among all respondents) would choose leader of the Radical Party Oleh Liashko.
A total of 2% of those who decided on the choice and 2% of all respondents are ready to vote for chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov; also 2% and 2% respectively would choose leader of the Civil Position party Anatoliy Hrytsenko; some 2% and 1% of respondents respectively would vote for representative of the All-Ukrainian Association Svoboda Ruslan Koshulynsky. Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko is supported by 1% among those who made their choice and 1% among all respondents.
If Zelensky and Poroshenko entered the second round, the current president would receive 60.5% of the votes of those who will take part in the elections and have decided on a candidate (32% among all respondents). Some 39.5% (20% of all respondents) are ready to vote for Poroshenko in the second round.
If Zelensky and Boiko entered the second round, 71% would vote for Zelensky among those who made their choice (36% among all respondents), some 29% and 15.5%, respectively, would vote for Boiko.
The study was conducted from April 22 to 29, 2021 using a face-to-face interview method at the place of residence of the respondents. A totral of 2,021 respondents aged 18 and over were interviewed in all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of Crimea and the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to a sample representing the adult population in terms of basic socio-demographic indicators. The theoretical sampling error (excluding the design effect) does not exceed 2.3% with a probability of 0.95.
PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, PRESIDENT ZELENSKY, PRESIDENTIAL RATING
Ukraine expects the European Union to revise its Neighborhood Policy, and that this revision will affect all the countries of Eastern Europe, said Olha Stefanyshyna, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
“We expect that in 2022 the European Union will start revising the Neighborhood Policy, and this revision will affect all Eastern European countries; that a specific new format of cooperation will be developed for Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, countries aspiring to membership [in the EU]. And we expect that by 2027, when Lithuania assumes the presidency of the EU Council, it will be possible to come up with specific political decisions,” she said during an online discussion of Kyiv Forum, founded by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation entitled “Discover Ukraine.”
Stefanyshyna noted that Ukraine positively assesses the current situation of relations with the EU. “At the same time, we believe that the time has come to start revising the Neighborhood Policy. We hope that this work will begin in 2022. And I know that many in European capitals are ready to join this work, and Ukraine will be able to get the prospect of membership [in EU],” she stressed.
At the same time, she noted that “there is really fatigue from expansion, and we feel it in our capitals.”
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises in January-April this year have increased the production of general rolled products, according to operational data, by 7.4% compared to the same period last year – up to 6.414 million tonnes.
In the first four months of the year steel production has increased by 7.2% – up to 7.138 million tonnes, pig iron – by 9.1% – up to 7.075 million tonnes, the association Ukrmetalurgprom said on Thursday.
In April, 1.680 million tonnes of rolled products, 1.847 million tonnes of steel, 1.762 million tonnes of pig iron were produced, while in the previous month – 1.575 million tonnes of rolled products, 1.779 million tonnes of steel, and 1.805 million tonnes of pig iron.
The U.S. engineering, construction and design company Bechtel Corporation is interested in entering the Ukrainian market for the construction of roads and other more complex infrastructure facilities, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said.
“I had the honor to speak at the Ukraine Invest round table on the importance of Ukraine’s active competition for investments, attracting U.S. investors to Ukraine and common American-Ukrainian projects in important industries for us, where out team immediately held a meeting with Stuart Jones, President of Regional and Corporate Relations of Bechtel Corporation, the U.S. engineering/construction/design company with revenues of $17.6 billion that implements infrastructure projects around the world and has an interest in entering the Ukrainian market for the construction of roads and other more complex infrastructure facilities,” Markarova wrote on Facebook on Friday.
She assured that the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States will actively work with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Office, Ukravtodor and the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, as well as IFIs and U.S. financial institutions, in order to turn this interest into new projects, investments and jobs for Ukraine.
Pivdenny maritime merchandise port (formerly Yuzhny, Odesa region), the largest seaport in Ukraine in terms of transshipment volume, in January-April 2021 reduced cargo handling by 18.6% compared to January-April 2020, to 16.786 million tonnes.
According to the data on the website of the state-owned enterprise Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, over four months of 2021, the seaport reduced handling of export cargo by 13.83%, to 13.12 million tonnes, import cargo by 37%, to 1.849 million tonnes, transit cargo by 24.53%, to 1.776 million tonnes, coastal cargo by 61.3%, to 41,040 tonnes.
In terms of the cargo nomenclature, the seaport in January-April 2021 reduced handling of liquid cargo by 18.95%, to 1.725 million tonnes, dry bulk cargo by 17.75%, to 13.993 million tonnes, packaged cargo by 27.84%, to 1.068 million tonnes.
Handling of containers for this period amounted to 64,316 TEU (24.77% less).
The KSG Agro agricultural holding completed January-March 2021 with a net profit of $750,000 versus $3.02 million of a net loss for the same period in 2020.
According to the holding’s report on the Warsaw Stock Exchange website, its revenue over this period increased by 9%, to $3.52 million, and the company’s EBITDA by 21%, to $1.39 million.
According to the results of the first quarter, KSG Agro increased its gross profit by 18% compared to the first quarter of 2020, to $1.26, operating profit by 39%, to $1.01 million.
“As of the date of these financial statements, the total balance of ‘other financial liabilities’ as of December 31, 2020 decreased by an additional $9.4 million, with the current portion of this amount being $3.4 million. Liabilities were partially settled in cash and partially due to disposal subsidiaries Agrarian Firm Vesna LLC, Trading House UAIH LLC and Soyuz-3 LLC,” the agricultural holding said in the financial statements.
According to the agricultural producer, the retirement of three subsidiaries from the agricultural holding led to an increase in its consolidated capital from a negative value of $6.2 million “closer to a positive value.”
According to KSG Agro Board Chairman Serhiy Kasyanov, the main factors behind the growth of financial indicators were a decrease in unproductive costs, as well as an increase in demand for pork in the first quarter of 2021 after a drop in prices at the end of 2020.
The total revenue of KSG Agro from pig breeding and meat processing in the first quarter of 2021 amounted to $2.51 million, almost at the level of the same reporting period of 2020 ($2.56 million).
KSG Agro’s revenue from agricultural crops production amounted to $ 840,000 (versus $100,000 in January-March 2020). The company said that as an alternative source of income, KSG Agro used its equipment and experience to provide services for the preparation and processing of land for other agricultural producers, which brought in $720,000 in revenue.
According to the financial statements, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did not have a significant impact on the profitability of the agricultural holding, it is expected that the event in the future will not have a significant impact on its business operations in future periods.
The company’s spring sowing campaign started in early April as scheduled. The plans of the spring sowing campaign are to sow 7,100 hectares with wheat, some 1,860 hectares with rapeseed and some 1,180 hectares with barley. The pig stock of the company in the first quarter of 2021 decreased by 1.7%, to 40,720 pigs.
According to the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders, the agricultural holding in 2020 took 11th place in the rating of Ukrainian pork producers (the rating was compiled on the basis of data on the total breeding stock of pigs), having sold 11,760 tonnes of pork in live weight over the year.
