President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted credentials from the new Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Jaroslaw Guza, Ambassador of Australia Paul Lehmann, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand Urasa Mongkolnawin, Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana Francis Ashiti-Odunton, and Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda, who have started their work in Ukraine.
As reported on the website of the head of the Ukrainian state on Monday, the ceremony took place on the territory of the National Reserve “St. Sophia of Kyiv”.
Congratulating the Ambassador of Poland on the start of his diplomatic mission, Zelenskyy thanked the Polish people for supporting Ukraine from the first days of the full-scale war.
“We are grateful for the shelter for a large number of Ukrainians, for humanitarian and military assistance,” he said.
The Head of State also noted the personal contribution of the Polish leadership to the consolidation of international efforts in support of Ukraine.
The parties also discussed cooperation in the defense sector with a focus on air defense and other key needs of the Ukrainian defense forces.
The parties also touched upon Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and the importance of Poland’s support for the country’s progress towards the EU and NATO.
In addition, Zelenskyy drew attention to the importance of preparing a bilateral security agreement and called for the unblocking of the Ukrainian-Polish border.
During his conversation with Australian Ambassador Paul Lehmann, Zelenskyy praised the level of relations between the two countries and thanked Australia for its assistance since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression.
“We are very grateful for your military support. It was very important,” Zelenskyy said.
The parties discussed the prospects for deepening bilateral political and security dialogue, especially in the context of Ukraine’s urgent military needs.
In his congratulations to Ambassador Urasa Mongkolnawin on the start of her diplomatic mission, Zelenskyy expressed hope that relations between the two countries would become even stronger and more successful.
“We are very grateful to your country for the humanitarian assistance provided during this war, especially to overcome the challenges in the energy sector the winter before last,” he said.
Zelenskiy invited Thailand to take part in the inaugural Global Peace Summit in June in Switzerland.
“It is very important for us to involve as many countries as possible. We want peace. You will see this when you are in Ukraine – how our people approach life. We have not started any war, but we have to protect our people and children,” he assured.
In the course of the conversation with Ambassador of Ghana Francisca Ashiti-Odunton, the President thanked for the support of Ukraine at various international platforms, particularly in the course of adoption of important resolutions of the UN General Assembly.
The Head of State reminded of the recent opening of the Embassy of Ukraine in Ghana.
“It is very important for us to open Africa. For a long time, your region has been distant for Ukraine, and now we want to make it closer and our relations stronger,” he emphasized.
The parties also discussed Ukraine’s important role in global food security, particularly on the African continent. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would continue to be a reliable guarantor of global food security.
During a conversation with Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda Stephen Mubiru, the parties discussed prospects for deepening bilateral relations in various fields. Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s readiness to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Uganda, particularly in the areas of digitalization, information technology, and education.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will travel to Poland on Tuesday, April 23, to announce a massive increase in military support for Ukraine, specifically £500 million of additional military funding, according to the British government’s website.
According to the release, Sunak will meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to discuss deepening British-Polish relations. The two sides will also hold talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Warsaw on European security and support for Ukraine. The British prime minister will then travel to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
“Ukraine faces an existential threat as Russia continues its barbaric invasion, risking the security and stability of the whole of Europe,” the statement said.
The additional funding of £500 million is being used to quickly deliver urgently needed ammunition, air defense, drones and engineering support. The drones will be procured from the UK.
The UK Ministry of Defense will send Ukraine a package of equipment designed to repel a Russian invasion on land, sea and air. The aid package contains 60 boats, including raid and dive boats and naval guns, more than 1,600 strike and anti-air missiles, as well as additional long-range Storm Shadow missiles, more than 400 pieces of equipment, including 160 Husky protected vehicles, 162 armored vehicles and 78 all-terrain vehicles, and nearly 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition.
“Protecting Ukraine from Russia’s brutal ambitions is vital to our security and to all of Europe. If Putin is allowed to succeed in this war of conquest, he will not stop at the Polish border… Ukraine’s armed forces continue to fight bravely but need our support – and need it Now today’s package will help ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs to fight Russia,” Sunak emphasized.
At the same time, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that “this record-breaking military aid package will give President Zelensky and his brave nation more of the tools they need to kick Putin out and restore peace and stability in Europe.”
“The UK was the first to provide NLAW missiles, the first to give modern tanks and the first to send long-range missiles. Now we are going even further. We will never let the world forget the existential battle Ukraine is fighting and with our continued support they will win,” said Shapps.
The average cost of housing in the UK in April increased by a maximum of 1.7% in annual terms and came close to a record high, according to the real estate portal Rightmove.
According to the website, this month’s house prices averaged £372.324 thousand ($459.82 thousand), which is only 570 pounds below the historical high reached in May last year.
In monthly terms, prices rose by 1.1%.
In March, housing prices rose by 1.8% compared to February and by 1.5% compared to a year ago.
“Housing affordability remains low, but conditions in the real estate and mortgage markets remain stable, there is plenty of choice for buyers, and many sellers will realize that now is the time to negotiate prices and close a deal,” said Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of real estate analysis, as quoted by MarketWatch.
The number of new sellers in the British housing market in April increased by 12% year-on-year, the number of agreed transactions – by 13%, the company calculated.
The amount of income tax and dividends for 2023 that state-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv) transferred to the state budget amounted to almost UAH 50 billion, Yulia Metzger, a member of the bank’s Supervisory Board, said at the International Financial Club BANKIR conference.
“Already in February this year, the Supervisory Board decided that the bank had transferred to the budget an advance payment of dividends and income tax based on the results of the previous year in the amount of almost UAH 50 billion,” she said.
According to the NBU, PrivatBank’s pre-tax profit for 2023 amounted to UAH 72.77 billion, and income tax expenses amounted to UAH 35 billion. According to the government’s decision, 80% (UAH 30.2 billion) of the remaining net profit of UAH 37.76 billion should be used to pay dividends.
As reported, on February 12, Privat transferred the amount of income tax and the first tranche of dividends for 2023 in the amount of UAH 26 billion to the state budget in advance.
PrivatBank is the largest bank in the country, with total assets of UAH 848.64 billion as of March 1, 2024, or 25.9% of the assets of all 63 banks.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih’s Kryvyi Rih Iron and Steel Works (AMKR, Dnipro region) is gradually increasing production by commissioning idle units and overcoming the consequences of Russian aggression.
“We used to operate at 25% of capacity, but now we are gradually increasing production every day. This, in turn, will lead to an increase in jobs and taxes for our city and the Ukrainian economy,” the press service said on Friday.
It is specified that coke oven batteries No. 3-4 are scheduled to be launched from April 21 to 24 inclusive, which will provide raw materials for the increase in blast furnace production.
“We would like to draw the attention of Kryvyi Rih residents to the fact that during the launch of coke oven batteries, there may be a noticeable emission of smoke. We would like to inform you that the smoke is caused by the technological process of the launch, the situation is safe for the residents of the city,” explains AMKR.
As reported earlier, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih increased steel production by 93% in January-March 2024 to 278 thousand tons compared to the same period in 2023. The company produced 245 thousand tons of blast furnace coke compared to 211 thousand tons (up 16%), 403 thousand tons of pig iron compared to 392 thousand tons (up 3%), 278 thousand tons of steel compared to 250 thousand tons (up 11%), and 262 thousand tons of rolled products compared to 230 thousand tons (up 14%).
Production growth compared to the first quarter of 2023 ranged from 50% to 94%, depending on the type of product.
The first quarter of 2024 also reflects gradual progress in the restoration of the plant’s production capacity.
“We plan to continue our production development program, in particular, to approach 50% of our steelmaking capacity in the near future. At the same time, the stability of energy supply remains a significant factor in the successful implementation of our plans,” said Mauro Longobardo, CEO of AMKR, earlier.
“ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest rolled steel producer in Ukraine. It specializes in long products, including rebar and wire rod.
ArcelorMittal owns the largest mining and metallurgical plant in Ukraine, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, and a number of small companies, including ArcelorMittal Berislav.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group, including its associates and joint ventures, increased its payments of taxes and duties to the budgets of all levels in Ukraine by 1.7 times year-on-year to UAH 4.2 billion in January-March this year.
According to the company’s press release on Monday, the largest deductions include subsoil use fees, which increased 7.5 times year-on-year to UAH 1.3 billion compared to Q1 2023. The Group also increased its personal income tax payments by 22% to UAH 791 million. In addition, Metinvest transferred UAH 870 million of unified social tax to the budget, which is 20% higher than in Q1 2023.
At the same time, Metinvest’s Ukrainian enterprises paid UAH 407 million in income tax in January-March 2024. Land payments increased by 8% year-on-year to UAH 312 million, and environmental tax by 34% to UAH 182 million.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest, noted that despite the war in Ukraine and many unfavorable business factors, the Group managed to achieve positive dynamics in payments.
“This is the result of our team’s efforts to improve efficiency in all areas and to adjust the company to the new environment. As the largest taxpayer in the industry, we realize that the economy of the frontline regions and the entire country, as well as the ability to support the army and Ukrainians, depend on our stable operation. And we will do everything to continue to overcome all the challenges of wartime on the way to victory,” the top manager emphasized.
As reported, in 2023, Metinvest paid UAH 14.6 billion in taxes to the Ukrainian budget.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. The Group’s enterprises are mainly located in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovs’k regions.
The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
