Oleksandr Mishchenko, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, accepted copies of the credentials from Anjani Kumar, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of India to Ukraine. According to the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parties emphasized the importance of further developing bilateral cooperation and maintaining regular political dialogue at all levels.
The Deputy Minister emphasized Ukraine’s expectations that India play a more active role in promoting the restoration of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and in holding the aggressor state accountable for the crimes it has committed.
“The parties discussed the agenda for upcoming high-level events, particularly in the context of implementing the agreements reached during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine on August 23, 2024,” the statement reads.
Special attention was paid to the development of interparliamentary cooperation and the further strengthening of collaboration in the humanitarian sphere. The parties also discussed ways to intensify bilateral economic cooperation and restore positive momentum in contacts between business representatives of the two countries.
“Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue active cooperation and promote the further development of Ukrainian-Indian relations in areas of mutual interest. Oleksandr Mishchenko wished the Ambassador of the Republic of India success in his diplomatic mission in Ukraine and the achievement of significant results for the benefit of both countries and their peoples,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.
As part of the implementation of the energy sustainability plan, distributed cogeneration facilities with a total capacity of 65 MW have already been built in Kyiv, according to Petro Panteleev, acting first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration.
“We have already built cogeneration plants with a capacity of 65 MW and diesel power plants with a capacity of over 16 MW,” he said at a press briefing on Monday dedicated to the progress of the Kyiv City Resilience Plan.
The level of readiness for infrastructure restoration, Panteleev added, has already reached 60%. In addition, the city is working to prepare its housing stock for the heating season.
According to the city official, Kyiv has allocated 800 million hryvnias over the course of the year for the repair and modernization of electrical switchboards. Work is planned this year at 742 facilities; so far, 20% of the plan has been completed.
As Panteleev noted, energy efficiency measures have already been implemented in over 2,000 residential buildings through municipal and state programs.
It was previously reported that the capital’s Resilience Plan allocates 37 billion hryvnias for the restoration and construction of facilities and infrastructure.
The Ukrainian group of companies Kormotech, a manufacturer of dog and cat food, has become the first in Ukraine to receive international certification for compliance with the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety. Following an audit by Bureau Veritas Certification Ukraine, the company received an “A” rating, Kormotech’s press service told the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency.
“During the certification audit, it is not a single product or production line that is evaluated, but rather the company’s entire safety and quality management system. The ‘A’ rating we received demonstrates that our production processes comply with the requirements of the BRCGS standard and that the control systems we have implemented are effective,” said Serhiy Plichko, Lead Auditor at Bureau Veritas Certification Ukraine.
BRCGS is one of the most authoritative international standards for food safety and quality, establishing requirements for the entire production process: from supplier verification and raw material control to hygiene, product traceability, packaging, storage, and risk management. The standard is applied at over 22,000 production sites in more than 130 countries, and its requirements are recognized by leading international brands and retailers.
According to Kormotech’s Chief Operating Officer, Ihor Paranyak, obtaining the certificate was part of Kormotech’s long-term production strategy and the next stage in the development of the quality management system in Ukraine. Each year, Kormotech will undergo a re-audit and confirm its compliance with the standard as part of the regular certification cycle. The company already has experience operating in accordance with BRCGS requirements at its facility in Kedainiai, Lithuania, which has been certified under this standard since 2021.
According to Paranyak, preparing the Ukrainian facility was more challenging because the production facilities in Ukraine were established much earlier than the plant in Lithuania, which was designed from the outset to meet international requirements for organizing production flows.
“During the construction of the facility in Lithuania, we incorporated BRCGS requirements into the planning of production processes from the very beginning: the flow of raw materials and finished products, employee movement, sanitary zones, and risk control. The Ukrainian production facilities were built earlier, so to obtain certification, we had to adapt existing processes and systematically eliminate nonconformities. The A rating we received confirms that the company is capable of operating at a high international standard,” explains Paranyak.
Certification creates additional opportunities for cooperation with international retail chains and partners for whom BRCGS compliance is a mandatory or priority criterion for selecting manufacturers. At the same time, for Kormotech, this is first and foremost a tool for continuous process improvement, rather than a one-time formal audit.
“For several years in a row, we have maintained high BRCGS ratings at our facility in Lithuania. Now, our Ukrainian production facility has also achieved this same international standard. For us, this is an important signal: even amid a full-scale war, our Ukrainian team is capable of implementing complex global standards and meeting the demands of the global market,” concludes Paranyak.
Kormotech is a global family-owned company with Ukrainian roots that has been producing high-quality cat and dog food since 2003. The company operates three production facilities—two in Ukraine and one in Lithuania (another plant in that country is currently under construction). Total production capacity exceeds 102,000 metric tons per year, and the product range includes over 750 items. Kormotech is the market leader in Ukraine and ranks among the top 50 global pet food manufacturers; the company consistently ranks among the fastest-growing pet food brands. The group’s products are available in more than 50 countries worldwide, both under its own brands—Optimeal, Delickcious, CLUB 4 PAWS, My Love, Meow! Woof!—and under its partners’ private labels.
Bureau Veritas Certification Ukraine is the Ukrainian division of the international company Bureau Veritas, one of the world’s leaders in inspection, testing, and certification. The company has been operating in Ukraine since 2003 and provides conformity assessment services in industry, agriculture, construction, and other sectors.
Prices for food and feed wheat in Ukraine remained unchanged over the week—$195 and $185 per metric ton, respectively, on a CPT Odessa basis—while the price of corn fell by $5 to $195 per metric ton CPT Odessa, according to brokerage firm Spike Brokers.
The price of sunflower seeds on a CPT mill basis was $550 per metric ton; rapeseed on a CPT port basis fell by $20 to $500 per metric ton, while on an FCA Chop basis it rose by $5 to $545 per metric ton. The price of GMO soybeans fell to $420 per metric ton CPT port and to $435 per metric ton FCA Chop, while non-GMO soybeans on an FCA Chop basis rose by $10 to $470 per metric ton and fell by $10 to $440 per metric ton on a CPT port basis.
“This week, the Ukrainian physical market moved away from a direct correlation with exchange dynamics. The SPIKE CPT Odessa corn index fell to $195 (-$5 for the week), while 11.5% food wheat and feed wheat held steady at $195 and $185, respectively. On the western basis, SPIKE FCA Chop corn adjusted to $220 (-$3), maintaining a premium of about $25 to the port destination,” the report states.
According to Spike Brokers, the price of corn on an FCA Chop basis also fell—by $3, to $220 per metric ton. The sunflower seed price of $550 per metric ton is linked to processors’ transition to new-crop prices.
The port price of rapeseed fell by $20 per metric ton, while at the western border it rose by $5. From August 1–6, Ukraine exported 27.9 thousand metric tons of rapeseed.
During this period, Ukraine exported 33.5 thousand metric tons of corn, 93.2 thousand metric tons of wheat, and 4.2 thousand metric tons of soybeans. Sunflower oil exports totaled 30.7 thousand metric tons.
Railway grain shipments to the ports of Greater Odesa during the first five days of August fell by 84.3% compared to the same period in July—to 40.8 thousand metric tons, according to the brokerage firm Spike Brokers.
According to its data, the total volume of agricultural exports from Ukraine for August 1–6 amounted to 312,900 metric tons, compared to 784,500 metric tons for the same period in July, a decrease of 60.1%. At the same time, export revenue decreased by 38.4%—to $201.5 million from $326.9 million.
The sharpest decline was seen in grains: wheat exports for the first six days of August totaled 93.2 thousand metric tons, compared to 294.9 thousand metric tons in early July, while corn exports totaled 33.5 thousand metric tons, compared to 293.7 thousand metric tons, respectively.
At the same time, a seasonal flow of rapeseed totaling 27,900 metric tons appeared in the structure of August exports, while shipments of soybean meal rose to 25,700 metric tons from 18,600 metric tons during the corresponding period in July. Sunflower oil exports fell to 30.7 thousand metric tons from 52.1 thousand metric tons.
During the first five days of August, a total of 182 thousand metric tons of grain and milled products were transported by rail, which is 44.1% less than during the same period in July.
“Data from Ukrainian Railways (UZ) for the first five days of the month show a sharp decline in rail grain shipments to seaports, while land-based rail crossings and road exports are operating at a relatively higher level,” the report states.
As for overland logistics channels, from August 1–6, 59,600 metric tons of agricultural products were exported through road border crossings, compared to 53,600 metric tons during the same period in July (an increase of 11.3%).
According to Spike Brokers, the average daily throughput of grain and meal shipments through border crossings during the first five days of August was 142 railcars, compared to 139 railcars in July.
Volumes increased the most on the Romanian route—to 31.2 railcars per day, or 29.3 railcars more than in July. Poland increased its shipments to 27.4 railcars per day (+13.8). In contrast, Hungary reduced this figure to 23 railcars per day (-15.9), and Slovakia to 14.2 railcars per day (-2.7). The backlog of grain railcars heading toward the border rose from 369 to 521 railcars, or by 41.2%.
“In contrast to the slower overall pace of agricultural exports, the road transport channel began August with greater activity than in July. However, its absolute capacity remains insufficient to compensate for the reduction in large-tonnage grain flows through seaports,” the report states.
An increase in activity was also recorded on the Danube route: the number of grain cars in transit rose to 1,296 (+155), and the average daily unloading rate increased to 157 cars (+106).
Ukraine’s real gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 2.1% in the third quarter, 4.2% in the fourth quarter, and 5.2% in the first quarter of next year, according to an updated quarterly forecast published by the National Bank in its April “Inflation Report” on its website.
“The easing of fiscal policy and a significant economic boost resulting from the allocation of part of external financing to the localization of arms production, as well as larger harvests than last year, crops will contribute to a revival of economic activity in the second half of the year,” noted the NBU, which overall revised its economic growth forecast for this year upward to 1.8% from 1.3% in its April “Inflation Report.”
At that time, the National Bank expected GDP to grow by 1.9% in the third quarter of this year, by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, and by 4.7% in the first quarter of next year.
The NBU now expects the consolidated budget deficit (excluding grants in revenue) to rise to 35.2% of GDP by the end of 2026, compared with 24.7% of GDP last year, whereas as recently as April it had forecast a decrease in this figure to 19.2% of GDP.
According to the report, in the second quarter of this year, budget expenditures rose by 32.7% compared to the second quarter of last year—an increase of 0.45 trillion UAH, to 1.81 trillion UAH—while in the first quarter, they remained at last year’s level of 1.25 trillion UAH.
The National Bank emphasized that the fiscal stimulus offsets the negative impact of shelling, which the National Bank estimates at 0.9 percentage points.
According to a preliminary estimate by the State Statistics Service, following a 0.6% decline in the first quarter of this year, GDP increased by 0.6% in the second quarter of 2026, whereas the National Bank had expected growth of 1.7% in its April forecast.
The NBU explained that more substantial economic growth is being hampered by the consequences of Russia’s intensified attacks on logistics infrastructure—particularly the blockage of ports—as well as on the energy sector and business facilities. The decline also deepened significantly in the construction sector (to 7.5% in the second quarter) against the backdrop of a high base of comparison from last year, a shortage of skilled workers, and shifts in the structure of demand amid war and energy shocks: activity shifted away from large residential projects toward private housing and infrastructure restoration.
The National Bank also confirmed its growth forecast for 2027 at 2.8%, but revised its expectations for quarterly growth: while in April it had projected a 2.5% increase in GDP for the second quarter of next year, 2.0% in the third quarter, and 2.5% in the fourth, these figures now stand at 4.3%, 2.4%, and 0.2%, respectively.
The NBU attributes the acceleration of the recovery in the coming years to increased investment in the expansion of production capacity—particularly in the defense industry—further increases in crop yields, gradual stabilization in the energy sector, and sustained consumer demand.
“Accommodative fiscal policy will lead to a positive GDP gap in 2026–2027,” the Inflation Report also notes.
The forecast for the consolidated budget deficit for next year has been raised from 17.7% of GDP to 25.6% of GDP, and for 2028—from 10.9% of GDP to 14.6% of GDP.
According to the report, the downward revision of the GDP growth forecast for 2028 from 3.7% to 3.0% is due to more substantial fiscal consolidation.
As previously reported, according to the State Statistics Service, Ukraine’s GDP growth slowed to 1.8% in 2025 from 2.9% in 2024 and 5.5% in 2023, following a 28.8% decline in 2022—the first year of full-scale Russian aggression.
