One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has issued a long-term low-interest loan in the amount of EUR 200 million to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine within the Early Recovery Program, Head of the EIB Representation in Ukraine Jean-Erik De Zagon has said, when opening six repaired medical facilities in Kharkiv.
According to him, the funds are used to invest in the restoration of key infrastructure objects in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to ensure adequate living conditions for internally displaced persons.
He noted that the purpose of the loan is to improve the living standards of people in Eastern Ukraine.
“Our Early Recovery Program was specifically developed to help people of Eastern Ukraine, including thousands of IDPs, deal with tough challenges they are facing following the armed conflict. This EUR 200 million program is part of our overall EUR 5.8 billion portfolio in Ukraine. It aims at improving living standards for people in terms of housing, healthcare and education. And it is a convincing proof that as an EU Priority Partner, Ukraine can greatly benefit from EU support and financing. We are happy to provide help where it is needed most and that it will directly impact the lives of ordinary citizens,” the banker said.
Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) has doubled its capacity due to the expansion of main Terminal A by another 9,500 square meters, to 23,700 square meters, co-owner of the airport Denys Kostrzhevsky has said, when opening the terminal.
According to him, the reconstruction of the terminal cost UAH 630 million.
He noted that the airport also doubled the number of check-in counters and passport control desks.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, 23 registration desks and nine aviation security oversight stations are located on the ground floor of the new facility of the terminal. A new parking lot for 135 cars was built on the square near the airport.
Terminal A will include a Duty Free shop, a WOG cafe, three restaurants and several souvenir shops.
According to the expert, the airport plans to further expand the terminal.
“The project includes the third stage of construction on the other side of the terminal, which will allow doubling the area of Terminal A,” he said without specifying the start of construction.
In addition, according to him, it is planned in two or three years to begin work on the extension of the runway.
“Now we are engaged in the allocation of land plots and design. In two or three years we will decide on the extension of the runway,” the businessman said.
At the same time, he found it difficult to predict the terms during which the investments made in the second stage of construction would be paid back.
Findings of a public opinion poll conducted by the Oleksandr Yaremenko Ukrainian Institute for Social Research, the Social Monitoring Center, and the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences show that the majority of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelensky and the country’s armed forces.
According to the poll results, which were presented at Interfax-Ukraine’s office on Thursday, almost 58% of Ukrainians generally trust Zelensky, 35.1% are more likely to trust the president, and 23% of citizens trust him completely. Former President Petro Poroshenko had the trust of 15% of respondents (11.3% and 3.7%, respectively).
The Ukrainian Armed Forces enjoy the trust of more than 64% of respondents, the National Police 30.7%, law enforcement agencies 30.6%, the SBU Security Service of Ukraine 29.9%, the Prosecutor General’s Office 18.4%, and the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) 15.3%.
Some 22.9% of Ukrainians have confidence in the National Bank of Ukraine, 14.8% in the Cabinet, 13.3% in political parties, and 10.3% in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.
The poll was conducted in 24 Ukrainian regions and the city of Kyiv on May 10-18 and involved 2,100 people. The margin of error is between 1.31% and 2.18%.
National Energy Company Ukrenergo plans to attract another EUR 24.5 million from Kreditanstalt Fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW, Germany) to implement a project to increase effectiveness of electricity transmission, which is the third phase of reconstruction and automation of the company’s substations.
According to a company’s press release, the relevant intentions were recorded in the protocol on the results of the intergovernmental negotiations held on May 20 in Kyiv with the participation of the company.
“This will significantly improve the reliability of power transmission and ensure the technical compliance of equipment and network operation with the standards and requirements of ENTSO-E [the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity],” the press service reported, citing Ukrenergo Deputy Director for investment Volodymyr Kudritsky as saying.
In general, KfW announced its readiness to provide more than EUR 80 million for the implementation of reforms in a number of sectors of the Ukrainian economy.
During the meeting, Ukrenergo spoke about the implementation of a roadmap for the integration of the Ukrainian power grid with ENTSO-E. In this direction, the company cooperates with the German transmission system operator 50 Hertz, which is now a key partner of Ukrenergo in the process of integrating networks.
