The Meest international postal and logistics group with Ukrainian roots, through its subsidiary Meest China, has resumed the purchase and delivery of goods from China to Ukraine.
According to the company’s announcement on Wednesday, delivery to Ukraine of both postal items and commercial cargo is available.
Earlier, Meest resumed international delivery of parcels to the countries of the European Union: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
At the same time, the company said on its website that due to the war on the territory of Ukraine [which Russia unleashed with its invasion on February 24] and the introduction of martial law in the country, the delivery time for international shipments to European countries may be extended and will depend on further development situations.
Washington hopes that China will exert the necessary influence on the Russian Federation in connection with the events in Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
“We believe China in particular has a responsibility to use its influence with President Putin and to defend the international rules and principles that it professes to support,” he said.
At the same time, Blinken recalled that the events in Ukraine will be one of the topics of a telephone conversation scheduled for Friday between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“President Biden will be speaking to President Xi tomorrow and will make clear that China will bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia’s aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs,” Blinken said.
Later, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the conversation between Biden and Xi Jinping would clarify China’s attitude towards the situation in Ukraine.
“This is an opportunity for President Biden to assess where President Xi stands,” she said.
Chinese Red Cross Society will soon provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.te Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a statement at a press conference at the fifth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), according to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.
Wang Yi said that China considers it important to overcome the crisis by strictly adhering to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respecting and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, adhering to the principles of indivisibility of security, taking into account the reasonable security concerns of all sides involved, and settling disputes by exclusively peaceful means through dialogue and negotiations, to form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism for the sake of lasting peace in the region.
The Chinese minister noted the need for peace and negotiations. China has done some work in this regard and maintains close communication with all sides, he said.
Thus, on the second day after the start of the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that China “would like Russia and Ukraine to agree on peace as soon as possible.”
Wang Yi said that Beijing is ready to continue to play a constructive role in establishing peace and advancing negotiations, the minister also put forward six proposals to prevent a large humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
According to them, firstly, it is necessary to make efforts to ensure that humanitarian operations comply with the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and also to avoid politicization of humanitarian issues. Secondly, it is necessary to pay attention to all the homeless, both in Ukraine and abroad, as well as to organize work on their accommodation at the proper level. Thirdly, it is necessary to ensure the protection of the civilian population and prevent a secondary humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine. Fourth, efforts must be made to ensure the safe and unhindered operation of humanitarian assistance, including the provision of prompt, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. Fifth, it is necessary to ensure the safety of foreign citizens in Ukraine, to enable them to leave the country safely and to help them return to their homeland.
Sixth, it is necessary to support the coordinating role of the UN in providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the work of the UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed Russia’s aggression in Ukraine during a telephone conversation on Saturday, the U.S. State Department reports.
“The Secretary [speaking about the situation in Ukraine] noted the world is watching to see which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination and sovereignty,” the State Department’s press release reads.
As noted in the department, Blinken told his Chinese counterpart that the countries of the world act in concert in relation to Russia “ensuring that Moscow will pay a high price.”
Earlier this week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China intends to continue cooperation with Russia in the field of trade and does not support any illegal unilateral sanctions.
Beijing, for its part, welcomed the start of negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine and expressed hope that the parties will continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation around Ukraine.
The Cabinet of Ministers has provided funding for the state-owned enterprise National Project Air Express to stop the implementation of a project of passenger railway communication between Kyiv and Boryspil airport. According to an explanatory note to the document, this will minimize Ukraine’s losses associated with the termination of credit and commercial agreements concluded between the SOE National Project Air Express and the China National Complete Engineering Corporation together with the Export-Import Bank of China.
It is expected that as a result of the resumption of negotiations and termination of agreements, about $73.7 million can be returned to the Ukrainian side.
The explanatory note also states that at the moment the SOE National Project Air Express is not solvent, and in order for the enterprise to be able to terminate the contracts under the mentioned project, it is necessary to pay off debts on salaries and payments to the state budget, as well as accumulate funds for participation in litigation.
In particular, the state-owned enterprise National Project Air Express has arrears in wages – UAH 831,000, in payment of personal income tax – UAH 341,000, in military fee – UAH 28,500, and in single social security tax – UAH 222,000.
As reported, in Ukraine for a long time there was an unrealized national project Air Express – railway passenger communication Kyiv-Boryspil International Airport, construction of other infrastructure facilities in Kyiv region. For its implementation in 2011, under state guarantees, a loan agreement was concluded with the Export Import Bank of China in the amount of $372.3 million. CCEC was appointed as a general contractor for the turnkey construction works.
In June 2015, it became known that Ukraine and China were ready to discuss the possibility of redirecting credit funds provided for Air Express to other projects, and in March 2016, the Ministry of Infrastructure received the consent of Chinese partners to reformat the Air Express project.
On November 30, 2018, Ukrzaliznytsia launched an express train to Boryspil airport with a floating schedule of 21 to 30 voyages per day. To this end, about 4 km of non-electrified track was added to the existing railway infrastructure, including a 272 m long railway overpass over the M03 Kyiv-Kharkiv highway. Two passenger platforms were built. For operation on the route Central Kyiv Railway Station-Boryspil Airport, Ukrzaliznytsia repaired five rail buses manufactured by Pesa Bydgoszcz SA previously purchased for operation on other routes.
The Cabinet of Ministers has provided funding for the state-owned enterprise National Project Air Express to stop the implementation of a project of passenger railway communication between Kyiv and Boryspil airport.
The government adopted the relevant resolution at a meeting on Wednesday.
According to an explanatory note to the document, this will minimize Ukraine’s losses associated with the termination of credit and commercial agreements concluded between the SOE National Project Air Express and the China National Complete Engineering Corporation together with the Export-Import Bank of China.
It is expected that as a result of the resumption of negotiations and termination of agreements, about $73.7 million can be returned to the Ukrainian side.
The explanatory note also states that at the moment the SOE National Project Air Express is not solvent, and in order for the enterprise to be able to terminate the contracts under the mentioned project, it is necessary to pay off debts on salaries and payments to the state budget, as well as accumulate funds for participation in litigation.
In particular, the state-owned enterprise National Project Air Express has arrears in wages – UAH 831,000, in payment of personal income tax – UAH 341,000, in military fee – UAH 28,500, and in single social security tax – UAH 222,000.
As reported, in Ukraine for a long time there was an unrealized national project Air Express – railway passenger communication Kyiv-Boryspil International Airport, construction of other infrastructure facilities in Kyiv region. For its implementation in 2011, under state guarantees, a loan agreement was concluded with the Export Import Bank of China in the amount of $372.3 million. CCEC was appointed as a general contractor for the turnkey construction works.
In June 2015, it became known that Ukraine and China were ready to discuss the possibility of redirecting credit funds provided for Air Express to other projects, and in March 2016, the Ministry of Infrastructure received the consent of Chinese partners to reformat the Air Express project.
On November 30, 2018, Ukrzaliznytsia launched an express train to Boryspil airport with a floating schedule of 21 to 30 voyages per day. To this end, about 4 km of non-electrified track was added to the existing railway infrastructure, including a 272 m long railway overpass over the M03 Kyiv-Kharkiv highway. Two passenger platforms were built. For operation on the route Central Kyiv Railway Station-Boryspil Airport, Ukrzaliznytsia repaired five rail buses manufactured by Pesa Bydgoszcz SA previously purchased for operation on other routes.
