The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is exploring the possibility of creating by the end of 2024 – early 2025 a system of war risk insurance for domestic transportation and goods transported in Ukraine, said Francis Malizh, EBRD managing director in the financial institutions sector.
“We are considering the possibility of war risk insurance for transport, domestic transport, which should come to the market at some point, probably by the end of the year or early next year,” Malizh said at the second annual forum ‘Ukrainian exports: the window opens’ organized by the Economic Pravda publication.
He specified that the new model of insurance against military risks may apply to trucks and railroad cars. Also, it will serve to insure goods in transit in the country.
Saab is looking to set up production in Ukraine to support the country’s development of independent defence capabilities, the Swedish defence equipment maker’s CEO told Reuters.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has prompted a surge in demand for military equipment, with several Western manufacturers looking to set up production in Ukraine.
“We have to help Ukraine build sovereign capacity and capabilities, so we need to have partnership with Ukrainian industry in Ukraine and also Ukrainian industry that has moved outside of Ukraine,” Saab CEO Micael Johansson said.
He added Saab was in talks with two or three companies on “how to establish local production”, but an agreement was yet to be finalised.
Saab, which competes with the likes of U.S. giant Lockheed Martin, France’s Dassault Aviation and Britain’s BAE Systems, is seeing a boom in demand spurred by global tensions, the war in Ukraine, and Sweden’s recent NATO accession.
Johansson said he saw potential for working with Ukrainian companies on drone capabilities. Ukraine could also be supplier of munitions parts and contribute to the development of sensor technology, he added.
Johansson said the arms industry was pivoting from donation-based aid to direct partnerships with Kyiv.
“I think we are sort of in a movement of going from having countries donating things to Ukraine, which will continue, of course, to having us as an industry delivering directly to the MoD (Ministry of Defence) and the defence forces in Ukraine, which has not happened completely yet, but it’s starting to happen,” he said.
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In September 2024, Ukraine started importing potatoes from Poland and Lithuania, EastFruit reports. According to official statistics, from September 1 to 23, 2024, the country has already received three trucks of potatoes: 22 tons from Lithuania, worth $10.56 thousand, and 42 tons from Poland, worth $20.164 thousand.
According to the State Customs Service (SCS), Ukraine imported 15 thousand tons of potatoes between January and August 2024. During this period, potato exports amounted to only 760 tons worth $215 thousand, while imports amounted to 15.356 thousand tons worth $9.324 million.
Read also: Trends among the top 10 largest seed potato exporting countries in the world
According to the analysts of the EastFruit project, the import of potatoes started due to the increased demand for food potatoes among local wholesalers and retailers, as well as speculations about the potential shortage of quality potatoes in the current season. Potato prices have been rising strongly due to high demand for food potatoes, which is further fueled by rumors of a shortage of quality potatoes this season.
The poor harvest in 2024 also contributed to higher prices and increased demand for potato imports. EastFruit experts note that the main reasons for potato imports were the growth in demand due to the needs of the army, population migration, and the reduction of local production in Ukraine.
The deficit of domestic production and high demand for potatoes contributed to a significant increase in imports.
https://east-fruit.com/uk/novyny/ukrayina-pochala-import-kartopli-v-rozpal-zboru-vrozhayu/
The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Ukraine hosted a reception on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia at the Fairmont Hotel in Kyiv, which brought together representatives of diplomatic, cultural and business circles. This event not only emphasized the historical significance of the holiday, but also became an opportunity to discuss the current challenges and achievements of the country.
“While celebratingthe achievements of our past, we must also confront the current reality. Armenia is going through a difficult path, facing unprecedented challenges to regional peace and security, which remind us of the constant need for strength and unity,” said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Ukraine Vladimir Karapetyan.
The Ambassador also focused on Armenia’s economic achievements, emphasizing the growth of the economy and the increase in jobs, which is evidence of the country’s resilience.
“The Armenian economy has experienced significant growth in recent years. Economic growth is almost 30 percent, and state budget revenues have increased by more than 90 percent. In addition, about 200,000 new jobs have been created,” he said.
Mr. Karapetyan expressed optimism about the process of normalization of relations with neighboring countries, in particular with Azerbaijan and Turkey. He noted the importance of peace talks, emphasizing the importance of mutual recognition of territorial integrity.
“A week ago, Prime Minister Pashinyan made a clear statement about Armenia’s readiness to sign a peace agreement right now,” he emphasized.
In addition to political and economic issues, Mr. Karapetyan also paid attention to the role of the diaspora in Ukraine, calling it a “reliable bridge” between the two countries.
“The Armenian diaspora in Ukraine is distinguished by its loyalty and patriotism to both its historical homeland and Ukraine. More than ten thousand Ukrainian citizens of Armenian origin are currently at the front,” the ambassador emphasized.
He paid special attention to recognizing the contribution of famous Armenian figures to Ukrainian culture. In particular, the ambassador mentioned film director Roman Balayan, who was awarded the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize.
At the end of his speech, Mr. Karapetyan invited the audience to visit an exhibition of Ukrainian Armenian artists that will open this week at St. Sophia Cathedral.
After Ukraine declared independence on August 24, 1991, Armenia recognized Ukraine on December 25, 1991. On December 25, 1991, Ukraine and Armenia established diplomatic relations.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis received copies of credentials from the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Inga Stanitė-Tolocienė.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the deputy minister positively noted the level of bilateral political dialogue between the two countries, particularly in the context of recent visits by the President and First Lady of Lithuania, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Perebyinis expressed his sincere gratitude for Lithuania’s firm support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as military, humanitarian and financial assistance.
“The interlocutors separately discussed further practical steps to implement the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and support for Ukraine on its path to full membership in the EU and NATO,” the statement said.
In turn, Ambassador Stanitė-Tolokienė assured of Lithuania’s continued support for Ukraine and emphasized the Lithuanian government’s readiness to further strengthen military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/diplomats.html
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced a competitive selection of candidates for three positions of independent members of the supervisory board of Ukrenergo and instructed Ukrenergo to engage a professional consultant on personnel selection.
“The government remains fully committed to ensuring the independence, integrity and compliance with the highest professional standards of the new supervisory board. The selection of all members of the board – four independent and three representatives of the state – is to be completed by December 9,” the ministry said on Friday evening.
As reported, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová, regional heads of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the business ombudsman in early September called for stopping the dismissal of the company’s head Volodymyr Kudrytsky until the election of the seventh member of the board.
However, Kudrytsky was dismissed, after which the independent members of the Ukrenergo supervisory board, former ENTSO-E Presidents Daniel Dobbeni and Peder Andreasen, called the dismissal politically motivated and decided to leave the supervisory board early.
In addition, the G7 ambassadors emphasized the importance of quickly organizing a selection procedure according to the standards of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for “competent and professional independent experts” to the Ukrenergo supervisory board.
