Presidents of Ukraine and Montenegro Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Jakov Milatovic discussed regional security issues and coordinated cooperation between the two countries on international platforms in Tirana as part of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit, the press service of the Ukrainian president reports.
“In the framework of the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Tirana, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Montenegrin President Jakob Milatovic,” the press service of the Ukrainian president said on Wednesday.
The President of Ukraine expressed gratitude for the Montenegrin side’s support for the Vilnius Declaration of the Group of Seven and the Ukrainian Peace Formula, and informed the Montenegrin president about preparations for the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. Zelenskyy spoke about the joint architecture of Ukraine’s efforts to restore a just and lasting peace.
“The leaders coordinated cooperation between the two countries on international platforms,” the press service said.
Zelenskyy also thanked Montenegro for sheltering Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes due to the full-scale Russian invasion. The parties discussed the treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers in Montenegro.
Ukraine has received $760 million in grant funds from Japan and Norway, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has announced.
“The funds were received through the World Bank’s PEACE in Ukraine mechanism. They will be used to cover the priority expenditures of the state budget,” Shmyhal wrote in a telegram on Wednesday.
According to him, in 2024, Ukraine expects tangible financial support from Japan. “We have held many talks on this issue in Tokyo and obtained significant results. I thank our partners for their unconditional support,” Shmyhal wrote.
Albania is planning to open its embassy in Kyiv in the near future, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after talks with his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hasani.
“During my first visit to friendly Albania, I met with Minister Igli Hasani. I thanked Albania for its strong support and solidarity with Ukraine. We identified ways to strengthen cooperation in the defense sector, paying special attention to artillery ammunition. Albania plans to open its embassy in Kyiv in the near future. I highly appreciate this decision, which will significantly strengthen our bilateral ties,” Kuleba wrote on social network X.
He also thanked Albania for its willingness to join the Core Group of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
In addition, the ministers noted effective cooperation within international organizations.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Research and Production Enterprise ENERGO-PLUS has been involved in humanitarian initiatives and has been helping the Ukrainian military. The Kremenchuk energy company provides military units with vehicles, necessary equipment and machinery. The total amount of assistance since the beginning of the full-scale invasion is more than UAH 8 million.
The funds were used to purchase VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T5 and Mercedes-Benz VITO vans, as well as Renault Duster, NISSAN NAVARA, MITSUBISHI L200 cars and SUVs and three FORD RANGER vehicles. We also spend money on fuel and lubricants, as well as maintenance and repair of vehicles.
Another area of the company’s charitable activities is providing the military with equipment, tools, office equipment, etc. A separate part of the initiative is the purchase and delivery of 5 generators, which are an important element for power supply at the front line.
– Today, each of us must bring our country closer to victory. Ukrainian soldiers risk their lives every day for the sake of Ukraine’s independence, and we, joining our efforts, are obliged to help them,” emphasizes Yevgeniy Korf, Director of RPE ENERGO-PLUS LLC.
“The humanitarian direction is no less important, because at the beginning of the invasion, thousands of people needed shelter. Therefore, the company also joined the initiative of the Trust and Assistance Charitable Foundation to build a shelter for temporarily displaced persons.
The company’s core business is the design, development, and implementation of industrial automation, power supply, and various electrical systems for Ukrainian enterprises and private companies.
Dnipro Metallurgical Plant (DMZ, formerly Dniprokoks), a part of DCH Steel of businessman Aleksandr Yaroslavsky’s DCH group, paid over UAH 657 million in taxes in 2023, up 64% compared to 2022.
According to the company, value added tax accounted for UAH 277.5 million in the structure of payments to budgets of all levels. Income tax amounted to UAH 122 million, and unified social tax, rent and other contributions amounted to UAH 257 million.
It is noted that this result of significant support for the state budget was noted by Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy. He sent a letter of gratitude to the company, in which he noted the hard work of the plant’s team and emphasized that DMZ is one of the industry leaders in terms of tax payments.
“I am grateful to every employee of Dneprovsky Iron and Steel Works for their contribution to the defense capability of our country, its endurance and strength. We continue to work on the economic front to maintain the financial stability of the state,” said Vitaly Bash, CEO of DCH Steel.
In 2023, the plant increased its rolled steel output by 86.2% compared to 2022, up to 105.6 thousand tons, and coke output by 38.5%, up to 292.7 thousand tons.
DMZ specializes in the production of steel, pig iron, rolled products and products made from them. On March 1, 2018, DCH Group signed an agreement to buy Dnipro Metallurgical Plant from Evraz.
Amounts to be refunded decreased by almost one and a half times
Value added tax (VAT) accounted for one fifth of all state budget revenues in 2023. All VAT payers are entitled to a VAT refund. However, only 63% of the requested VAT refunds were paid by the State Tax Service (STS) in 2023.
Last year, VAT on imported goods amounted to UAH 366.2 billion, a 1.4-fold increase compared to the first year of the full-scale war. This is almost the same as in 2021 – UAH 380.7 billion.
At the same time, domestic VAT – that is, the tax on goods produced in the country – increased by 10% by 2021.
The situation with VAT refunds in 2023 improved slightly, but still did not reach pre-war levels. Last year, the Tax Service refunded 63% of the amounts claimed for refund, almost UAH 78.5 billion. This is 1.6 times less than in 2021. It is worth noting that the amounts to be refunded decreased by 1.4 times compared to the same pre-war year.
In general, the worst VAT refund rates over the past 4 years were recorded in 2022 – only 48% of the requested amounts, and the best – in the covid 2020: 97% of the requested amount.
Last year, VAT on domestic goods, including refunds, amounted to 8.6% of the budget, and VAT on imported goods – 11.5%. VAT will account for 20% of all state budget revenues in 2023. For comparison, in 2022, VAT brought 25% of the state treasury.
