The German government will donate about 400 generators to Ukraine to help fight Russian aggression, the German Embassy in Kyiv reports.
“Recent Russian air strikes have destroyed and damaged power plants in Ukraine. Millions of people, especially in Sumy and Kharkiv, were temporarily left without electricity. The German government is supplying > 400 generators to strengthen Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression,” the statement posted on Facebook reads.
Germany’s economy will avoid recession in 2024, but will grow by only 0.1% due to declining exports and weak domestic demand, according to leading German research institutes.
The previous forecast, prepared by the Munich-based Institute for Economic Research (IFO), the Kiel-based Institute for World Economics (IfW), the Rhineland-Westphalian Institute for Economic Research in Essen (RWI) and the Institute for Economic Research in Halle (IWH), predicted German GDP growth of 1.3%.
In 2023, the German economy shrank by 0.3%.
The economists warned that domestic demand is growing more slowly than expected, and exports are suffering due to high electricity prices, which reduce the competitiveness of German energy-intensive goods.
“Cyclical and structural factors are leading to a weakening of economic growth,” said Stefan Koots, head of economic research at the IfW. – “A recovery may begin in the spring, but overall, the growth momentum will not be very strong.
In 2025, according to experts, Germany’s GDP growth will accelerate to 1.4%.
The forecast for inflation for 2024 is 2.3%, for 2025 – 1.8%.
Earlier, Experts Club analytical center released a video analysis of GDP changes in major countries, the video is available at https://youtu.be/w5fF_GYyrIc?si=EpL-_EmhIGfMURGl
PrJSC United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), which has taken over management of Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (VGMK, Dnipro region) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (IGOK, Zhytomyr region), has started selling titanium raw materials to Italy, Spain, Germany and is systematically expanding its exports.
According to the company, despite the difficulties and risks of wartime, it shipped more than 102 thousand tons of products in 2023. The planned supply volumes for 2024 are 200 thousand tons.
Yegor Perelygin, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of UMCC, quoted in the information, noted that due to effective approaches and communication with potential buyers, the company signed contracts for the supply of approximately 80 thousand tons in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.
“We were able to attract a series of subscriptions for finished products from stable market players and open new ways to supply world-class end users. We have integrated the coordination and logistics management functions in the commercial unit, become more flexible and focused on an individual approach to strategic customers. As a result, we have opened the UMCC brand to well-known end users in Italy, Spain and Germany,” he explained.
Mr. Perelygin added that by the end of the second quarter of this year, UMCC’s rutile and zircon may become absolutely regular and key components in the raw material portfolios of major processors in Italy, Spain and Germany.
At the same time, companies in the United States and the Czech Republic remain strategic partners for UMCC’s ilmenite concentrate. We are also launching export deliveries of Irshansky GOK’s ilmenite to one of the largest end users in North America. The company plans to sell about 60 thousand tons in the near future. The company emphasizes that the supply chain and end users of these products are strictly controlled by the company and law enforcement agencies.
“Our success is due to our large team. These are more than 4,000 professionals who work in the NONstop mode. Together, we have made a good start for 2024 and are moving step by step towards our strategic goal of producing value-added products and significantly curtailing the aggressor’s influence in the markets of critical minerals and strategic materials,” summarized Perelygin.
The United Mining and Chemical Company started its actual operations in August 2014, when the Ukrainian government decided to transfer the property complexes of Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (VGMK, Dnipropetrovska oblast) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (IGOK, Zhytomyrska oblast) to its management. Previously, these plants were leased to Firtash’s structures. Then the company was transformed into a PJSC and then into a PrJSC.
In August 2016, the government included UMCC in the list of companies to be privatized in 2017. Its deadline was postponed several times, and the tender was disrupted twice.
UMCC used to sell its products to more than 30 countries and was one of the world’s largest producers of titanium raw materials, accounting for 4% of the global market. The company mines titanium ore.
Germany is sending equipment and weapons to Ukraine: the new military aid package includes 14,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition, 4 WISENT 1 demining vehicles, 3 mobile remote-controlled and protected demining systems, and 250 demining kits, the German government website reported on Monday.
According to the published updated list of military aid delivered to Ukraine, it also includes 10 Vector reconnaissance UAVs with spare parts; 22 anti-drone systems; 12 SatCom terminals; 4 vehicles for border guards; and materials for the disposal of explosive ordnance;
The package was provided by the resources of the Federal Armed Forces and government-funded industry.
It is noted that about 5 billion euros (2023) and about 1.6 billion euros (2022) have already been spent on military assistance to Ukraine. An additional 2.9 billion euros were allocated in the first two years of the war for aid that will be received only in 2025-2028.
In total, since February 24, 2022, Germany has supplied materials from the Federal Armed Forces’ stockpiles worth approximately €5.2 billion. In addition, more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received military training in Germany. The cost of this training is currently about €282 million.
The German economy may enter recession in the first quarter of 2024, the Bundesbank said in its monthly report. According to the German central bank, the country’s GDP is likely to decline slightly again in January-March.
It contracted by 0.3% in quarterly terms in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to preliminary data from the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The final data will be presented on Friday.
As negative factors for the German economy, the Bundesbank notes a significant decline in demand for industrial exports, the likely continued restraint of consumers in spending, increased uncertainty about climate policy, a decrease in order books in industry and construction, as well as strikes, including in rail transport and aviation.
Germany will provide military aid to Ukraine in the amount of EUR7.1 billion in 2024, including a EUR1.1 billion aid package, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin on Friday.
“In total, Germany has allocated or committed EUR28 billion for military aid,” he added.
Today, Scholz noted, “we are preparing a new level – EUR 1.1 billion. This includes 36 armored howitzers and wheeled howitzers from industrial stocks, 120 thousand pieces of ammunition, as well as two Skynex systems and missiles for IRIS-T,” Scholz said.
According to him, the signed agreement on military cooperation establishes that Germany will continue to support an independent Ukraine that is defending itself against Russian aggression.
Germany, Scholz said, “will support Ukrainian partners in building modern, defensible armed forces in order to prevent any future Russian aggression.” According to him, “today’s agreement also covers assistance in the civilian sphere, such as demining, energy infrastructure in Ukraine and reconstruction.”
In turn, Scholz noted, Ukraine assumes responsibility for continuing reforms leading to the country’s accession to the EU. “I have to be clear: of course, we all want this war to end as soon as possible. But, unfortunately, we see that Russia is not ready for a lasting and just peace,” the Chancellor said.
He also appealed to the US Congress to “make the decisions that Ukraine needs now to provide financial and military support.”
According to the website of the German Ministry of Defense, on Friday the federal government prepared another package of military support for Ukraine worth EUR1.13 billion.
It includes 18 Panzerhaubitzen-2000 self-propelled howitzers (to be delivered in 2026-2027, including training, spare parts and ammunition, in addition to the 14 already planned), 18 RCH 155 wheeled howitzers (to be delivered in 2025-2027 in addition to the 18 planned), 120,000 rounds of 122 mm artillery ammunition (to be delivered in 2024), a second SkyNex air defense system (to be delivered in 2025), and 100 more IRIS-T SLS missiles (in addition to the previously planned).
“Our Security Agreement with Ukraine is historic. For the first time in its history, the Federal Republic acts as a guarantor state. Today’s signing is a clear sign that Germany is fulfilling its increased security commitments in Europe. Our “Munich package” worth more than EUR 1 billion confirms our ongoing military support for Ukraine and shows that we are fulfilling our promise to stand by our Ukrainian partners in their fight against Russian aggression,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
