During his working visit to Greece, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the President’s press service reported on Monday evening.
The heads of state discussed the current state of affairs on the front line and the security situation in the region in view of the continuation of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy thanked Greece and personally Katerina Sakellaropoulou for supporting our country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The President of Ukraine noted the Greek leader’s special attention to the needs of Ukrainian citizens who have taken temporary refuge in this country. He particularly thanked the Greek side for the program of rehabilitation of Ukrainian children affected by Russian aggression.
The Head of State expressed hope that Greece would join the restoration of the affected regions of Ukraine.
“We are aware of the special role of Odesa in the history of Greece and look forward to your country’s involvement in the restoration of the city and Odesa region. I propose that Greece take patronage of this region,” Zelenskyy said.
During his working visit to Denmark, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Queen Margrethe II and members of the royal family.
“Meeting with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and members of the royal family. The statements and actions of the Royal Family of Denmark in support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people mean a lot to us. We appreciate the royal family’s personal support for the humanitarian efforts of Danish and international organizations operating in Ukraine,” he said in the Telegram channel.
The head of state also expressed gratitude to the Danish people, government and parliament for the powerful humanitarian, financial and military assistance to Ukraine.
“We will always be grateful for the support and mutual understanding that our struggle for life and freedom meets here,” the president said.
In particular, he noted the activities of Denmark within the Support Fund for Ukraine, aimed at restoring Ukrainian schools, hospitals, bomb shelters, water, heat and energy supply, etc.
According to Zelenskyy’s press service, he invited members of the royal family – Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary to support investment and humanitarian projects that Ukraine and Denmark are jointly implementing.
During the audience with the Queen, the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska was also present.
Kernel, one of the largest agricultural holdings in Ukraine, has almost completed harvesting winter wheat on an area of 60 thousand hectares and winter rapeseed on 10 thousand hectares, noting an increase in yields and forecasting an increase in production of all crops in the 2023 season, the company said in a statement on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
According to the report, in the 2023 season, the agroholding expanded the area under winter wheat by 1.7 times, and winter rapeseed by twice compared to last year. Favorable weather conditions resulted in higher yields of these crops: winter wheat yields reached 6.6 t/ha, which is significantly higher than a year earlier, when it was 4.6 t/ha; winter rapeseed yields were 3.3 t/ha, compared to 2.5 t/ha a year earlier.
“Kernel has also allocated significant areas for spring crops, including 120 thou hectares of sunflower, 84 thou hectares of corn and 65 thou hectares of soybeans.
“Risks for the group’s spring crops (corn, sunflower and soybeans) are currently limited, so the group expects to get yields close to historical averages,” the agricultural holding said.
“Kernel assesses the harvest prospects in Ukraine as “generally favorable” and forecasts an increase in grain and oilseed production compared to the previous year.
Speaking about the prospects for sales of the grown products in FY2024, the baseline scenario of the agricultural holding envisages exports only through the Danube River ports and inland routes due to the susceptibility of agricultural infrastructure to destruction caused by Russia’s regular missile attacks.
“Kernel has already secured some capacity to export sunflower oil and meal, but has not yet secured a stable and cost-effective grain transshipment option. The agroholding announced the need for additional investments to increase grain export capacity and reduce logistics costs.
“At the beginning of the season, the profit forecast for FY2024 envisages a significant decrease in EBITDA due to the undermined productivity of the agriculture, infrastructure and trade segments, which is caused by relatively weak global grain prices and expensive export logistics,” the agricultural holding explained.
At the same time, Kernel expects the oilseeds processing segment to be the main source of profit for the group in fiscal 2024.
The agroholding reported that it does not have access to credit limits from banks and relies on accumulated cash. At the same time, it continues negotiations with various financial institutions to obtain CapEx loans.
Uncertainty over VAT refunds in the future and the possible risk of hryvnia devaluation also increase the agroholding’s exposure to foreign exchange losses.
“Any estimates of volumes and margins are very sensitive to the current operational situation in Ukraine due to the constant disruptions caused by the war. The holding’s work is aimed at reducing further risks of losses caused by possible future Russian attacks,” Kernel summarized.
Before the war, Kernel was the world’s leading producer of sunflower oil (about 7% of global production) and its exports (about 12%). The company is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. In addition, the agricultural holding is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
The largest co-owner of Kernel through Namsen Ltd. is Ukrainian businessman Andriy Verevsky, who this year increased his stake from 41.3% to 74.05% as part of the buyout and delisting of the company from the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Kernel’s net profit for the first nine months of FY2023 (July 2022 – March 2023) increased by 36% to $437 million, while revenue fell by 45% to $2.715 billion.
More than 100,000 trees have been digitized in Kyiv, according to Oleksandr Voznyi, head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Adaptation at the Kyiv City State Administration.
“Our online map of trees is being actively updated and as of today contains more than 107 thousand plantations. By creating this resource, we aimed to conduct a clear inventory and understand how many trees there are in the capital, what condition they are in, and to provide the community with effective control tools,” he wrote on Facebook.
Voznyi noted that a significant amount of work has been done by the utility companies of Desnianskyi, Holosiivskyi and Pecherskyi districts, which have digitized all street trees and the vast majority of parks and are now working in parks.
“Seven parks in Desnianskyi and one in Holosiivskyi districts of the capital have already been added to the online map. We have also started digitizing the Partisan Glory Park in Darnytsia district and the Eternal Glory Park in Pechersk district of Kyiv,” he said.
The resource will contain a photo of each “digitized” tree, information about its location (with reference to the exact coordinates), species, trunk diameter, height and condition.
The online map is still being updated. Since it is created using high-precision maps, it will be made public as soon as it is possible from the point of view of security issues.
Spain has been hit by an abnormal heat wave for the fourth time this summer and its peak is expected in the coming days, EFE news agency reported on Monday.
According to forecasts, temperatures are expected to reach between 39 and 43 degrees Celsius in different parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday. Thus, around 40 degrees is expected in the Balearic Islands region, as well as in the southwest and northeast of Spain. In the south-west of Andalusia thermometer columns will rise to 43 degrees. In the central part of the country, as well as in the southern part of Galicia and Mallorca – about 39 degrees Celsius. In Catalonia’s Lerida and Girona, as well as in Barcelona, residents were urged to prepare not only for temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, but also for storms and heavy rain.
In most of the country, the risk of forest fires due to abnormally high temperatures is assessed as high.
This heat wave is expected to last until August 24 and then subside. The cooling will first come to the western part of the country, and closer to the weekend will spread to the rest of Spain.
Because of the hot weather, forest fires are raging in the country. This year, natural fires in Spain have already destroyed almost 64 thousand hectares.
