Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Coming nights in Kyiv will be very cold, without precipitation

In Ukraine, on Sunday and Monday, February 23 and 24, there will be no precipitation, only in the afternoon in the eastern regions there will be light snow, and sometimes ice on the roads.

According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, on Sunday, the wind will be of variable directions, 3-8 m/s. The temperature at night will be 13-18° Celsius, in the northern regions sometimes 21-23° Celsius, in the western regions and in the Crimea 8-13° Celsius; during the day 1-6° Celsius, in the western regions 0-5° Celsius.

No precipitation in Kyiv on February 23. On the roads there will be ice in some places. The temperature at night will be 13-15° below zero, during the day 1-3° below zero.

According to the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory, the highest temperature in Kyiv on February 23 was +11.9°C in 2016, the lowest -21.7°C in 1945.

On Monday, the wind in Ukraine is northerly, in the west of the country mostly southerly, 3-8 m/s. The temperature at night will be 8-13° below zero (in the northeastern regions 11-16°, in the western and southern regions 5-10° below zero); during the day from 3° below zero to 2° above zero, in the western regions 1-6° above zero, in the eastern regions 1-6° below zero.

In Kyiv, no precipitation, icy conditions on the roads in some places. North wind, 3-8 m/s. The temperature at night will be 10-12° below zero, during the day around 0°.

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Kyiv and Ankara aim to increase trade to $10 bln

Kyiv and Ankara are interested in expanding bilateral trade and aim to increase mutual trade by more than 1.5 times – from $6.2 billion in 2024 to $10 billion, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko said after a meeting with Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat.

“Last year, imports from Ukraine to Turkey amounted to $2 billion, and the total trade volume between our countries reached $6.2 billion. The overall goal is to increase this figure to $10 billion, in particular, by expanding the already significant trade in agricultural products, as well as other sectors,” Svyrydenko wrote on social network X from Ankara.

“There was an exchange of ideas with our contractors on projects in the priority areas of Ukraine’s reconstruction. Our development of relations with Ukraine in every sphere will also be a driving force for us in rebuilding the country,” Bolat said in turn.
According to Svyrydenko, the two sides also discussed how Turkish companies can access financial instruments to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.

She also thanked the minister for his decision to ensure maximum access for Ukrainian vessels to Turkish ports.
“In March, we expect a Turkish delegation to visit Ukraine to further deepen cooperation between our private sectors in rebuilding our country,” the First Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

According to the State Statistics Service, in 2024, exports from Ukraine to Turkey decreased by 6.8% compared to 2023, to $2.21 billion, while imports from Turkey decreased by 10.2%, to $4.24 billion. Turkey’s share in Ukraine’s exports of goods last year was 5.3%, and in imports – 6.0%. Only China, Poland, and Germany had a larger share.

The main items of Ukrainian exports to Turkey in 11 months of 2014 are cereals ($0.65 billion, +12.7% compared to 11 months of 2013), fats and oils – $0.35 billion (-56.1%), oilseeds – $0.22 billion (-31.8%), ferrous metals – $0.16 billion (+84.5%).

Over 11 months of 2014, Ukraine imported the most from Turkey: oil and mineral fuels – $0.55 billion (-7.7%), ferrous metals – $0.46 billion (+28.6%), electrical machinery – $0.23 billion (-9.3%), edible fruits and nuts – $0.20 billion (+17.7%), boilers, machinery – $0.20 billion (+3.3%).

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Trump sends Treasury Secretary to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskiy

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will arrive in Ukraine.

“I am sending Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with President Zelensky. This war must and will end soon – too much death and destruction,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent intends to visit Ukraine this week as part of initial talks to secure U.S. access to critical minerals. Bessent may become the first member of US President Donald Trump’s team to visit Ukraine.

Earlier, the president said that his administration wants to conclude an agreement with Ukraine on access to resources in exchange for help in its defense against Russian invasion.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv earlier on Monday that he plans to meet with people from the Trump administration in Ukraine before the Munich Security Conference.

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President of Ukraine invited Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to visit Kyiv

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to visit Kyiv on Friday.

“Good. Come to Kyiv on Friday,” Zelensky wrote on social media platform X, attaching an invitation to Fico, in which he invited the Ukrainian president to a meeting near the state border between Slovakia and Ukraine.

As reported, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a meeting near the state border between Slovakia and Ukraine. Fico announced his invitation during a video message to Zelensky posted on Fico’s Facebook page.

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Land of botanical garden in Kyiv was transferred for residential development

The land of the Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv has been transferred for residential development despite a ban, the press service of the State Audit Service of Ukraine reported.

The release notes that during an audit of the implementation of budget programs by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and its institutions, the State Audit Service found violations in the financial activities of the Hryshko National Botanical Garden.

Namely, contrary to a direct legal prohibition, the land plot of the National Botanical Garden at 1 Sadovo-Botanichna (Timiryazevska) Street in Kyiv became the subject of an investment agreement, which provided for the construction of residential and non-residential buildings, part of which was to be acquired by the botanical garden.

For the past six years, the developer has been unable to implement the agreement because of the special security regime for the territory of the National Botanical Garden. At the same time, the institution has received cash, services, and other goods (including tulip bulbs and soil) worth UAH 2.6 million from the investor.

The release emphasizes that the M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden is a part of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine, is an object of comprehensive protection and belongs to the lands of natural, historical and cultural designation, which are protected as a national treasure. The Law “On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine” (Article 16) prohibits any economic and other activities that contradict the purpose of the reserve, including the construction of structures not related to its functioning.

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2024 was warmest year in Kyiv on record

The average annual temperature in Kyiv in 2024 was +11.4°C, which is 2.4°C higher than the climate norm, and 2024 was the warmest year in the capital since the observations were made, with 52 temperature records recorded, the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Laboratory reported.

“In 2024, the air temperature exceeded the long-term average in all its months. February and September were particularly notable, with the largest positive deviations – 5.2°C and 5.7°C, respectively,” the Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Laboratory said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

It is noted that the coldest day was January 9 – minus 15.8°C, the hottest – July 16, when the temperature in the shade reached plus 36.0°C.

In total, 52 temperature records were recorded in Kyiv in 2024, with the highest number of records in April – 13 and July – 14.

Precipitation amounted to 642 mm, which corresponds to 104% of the climate norm. However, they were distributed very unevenly over time – almost two monthly norms in April and June and only 23% and 36% of the long-term average in May and September.

According to the observations of the meteorological station of the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory, the average monthly air temperature in Kyiv in December was 0.0°C, which is 1.8°C higher than the climatic norm. The coldest day in the capital was December 14, when the minimum temperature dropped to -9.8°C in the morning, and the warmest was December 19, when the maximum temperature reached +8.0°C in the afternoon.

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