The third meeting of the Joint Ukrainian-Croatian Commission on Economic Cooperation took place on June 9, 2026, in Zagreb, according to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Croatia.
The Ukrainian delegation, which included representatives from several ministries, was led by Ukraine’s Minister for Veterans Affairs, Nataliia Kalmykova. The Croatian side was represented by Croatia’s Minister of Economy, Ante Šušnjar.
Following the meeting, the parties signed a final protocol. A Memorandum of Understanding on physical activity and sports was also signed as part of the commission’s work.
During her visit, Kalmykova held working meetings with Croatian Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved, and paid tribute to the fallen defenders of Croatia in the 1991–1995 war.
The parties discussed the implementation of joint projects in the areas of veteran policy, energy, education and science, tourism and sports, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage in the face of external aggression.
For Ukraine, Croatia’s experience is of particular importance in the context of veteran policy, post-war recovery, and the reintegration of defenders into civilian life. Following the 1991–1995 war, Croatia established its own system of support for veterans, and this experience could be useful for Ukrainian government programs.
Ukrainian-Croatian economic cooperation also holds potential in the energy sector, infrastructure, tourism, humanitarian projects, and reconstruction.
Peace in Russia’s war against Ukraine can only be achieved through negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and the United States, according to a government statement delivered by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Bundestag on Thursday.
“Our goal for Ukraine remains a just and long-term peace that also takes our security interests into account. For this reason, we support Ukraine. That is the truth. We are doing this today and will continue to do so tomorrow, for as long as necessary,” Deutsche Welle quotes Merz as saying.
Merz stated that support for Ukraine includes a 90 billion euro loan approved by the EU and increased sanctions pressure on Russia; the German government supports efforts aimed at ending the war through negotiations.
“To counter Russia’s open willingness to escalate, we are strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. At the same time, we support efforts aimed at ending this aggressive war by Russia through negotiations. Lasting peace will only be achieved through negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., and Europe. There will be no other option,” the German chancellor noted.
“By waging a defensive war against Russia, Ukraine is also defending our freedom, as well as freedom and security throughout Europe,” Merz added. “After all, Ukraine is part of Europe. In the long term, it will also become part of the European Union,” he emphasized.
Assessing Ukraine’s path toward European integration, the chancellor noted that the country has made significant progress on the path of reforms.
“That is precisely why, a few days ago, I proposed granting Ukraine associate membership in the EU. This would mean Ukraine’s regular participation in EU Council meetings and meetings of the relevant ministerial councils. A Ukrainian commissioner, for now without a portfolio or voting rights, would become Kyiv’s representative in Brussels,” Merz once again explained the essence of his proposal.
On Thursday, June 11, the western and southeastern parts of the country will see brief showers and thunderstorms in some areas; in Zakarpattia and Prykarpattia, there will be moderate rain, with heavy rain in some places; the rest of the country will remain dry, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center.
Winds will be predominantly southerly, 5-10 m/s. Nighttime temperatures will range from 13-18°; daytime temperatures from 23-28°, and in the far west of the country from 18-23°.
In Kyiv on June 11, no precipitation is expected. Winds will be southerly, 5-10 m/s. Temperatures at night will be 16-18°C, and during the day 26-28°C.
According to data from the Boris Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory in Kyiv, on June 11, the highest daytime temperature was 33.7°C in 2010, and the lowest nighttime temperature was 6.3°C in 1952.
On Friday, June 12, across Ukraine—except for the far west—there will be brief showers and thunderstorms in some areas; in Khmelnytskyi, as well as during the day in most northern, central, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions, there will be moderate rain, with heavy rain in some areas.
Winds will be predominantly southerly, northwesterly in the west of the country, 5–10 m/s. Temperatures at night will be 13–18°, during the day 23–28°; in the western, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr regions, temperatures at night will be 9–14°, during the day 15–20°.
Weather forecast for Kyiv on June 12 – light rain at night, moderate rain during the day, with thunderstorms. Wind from the south, 5-10 m/s. Nighttime temperatures 16-18°, daytime temperatures 23-25°.
RAIN, THUNDERSTORMS, UKRAINE, Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, WEATHER
Prices for construction and installation work (CIW) in Ukraine rose by 19.9% in April 2026 compared to April 2025, according to the State Statistics Service (SSS).
According to the statistics agency, prices rose in all segments of construction from April 2025 to April 2026: in residential construction by 16.7% (up 2.1% from the previous month), in non-residential construction by 20.8% (2.9%), and in civil engineering by 20.5% (3.5%).
From January to April of this year compared to the same period last year, construction material prices rose by 12.4%, specifically in the residential sector by 11.1%, in the non-residential sector by 13%, and in civil engineering by 12.4%.
As reported, in 2025, construction material prices rose by 5.8% compared to the previous year, in 2024 by 7.9%, and in 2023 by 15.8%.
CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, PRICES, State Statistics Service, UKRAINE
Ukrainian legislation needs a clearer distinction between the elements of crimes related to collaboration, treason, and war crimes, according to Inna Linyova, director of the Human Rights Institute of the Ukrainian Bar Association.
In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, she noted that the practice of adjudicating cases of collaboration remains ambiguous. According to her, civil society organizations have already documented cases where individuals who, under international humanitarian law, may fall into protected categories were held criminally liable.
This includes, for example, employees of municipal utilities who continued to clean the streets during the occupation, doctors who continued to work in hospitals, or teachers who ensured the basic functioning of local institutions. Under international humanitarian law, such actions may be viewed as maintaining the region’s viability rather than as criminal collaboration with the occupying power.
A different situation, Linyova emphasized, arises in cases where a person passes on information about the location of Ukrainian military forces, directs fire, holds leadership positions in the occupying authorities, or heads a police department or local administration under Russian control. In such cases, there may be grounds for criminal prosecution, but the right to a defense must be ensured here as well.
Separately, Linyova cited the example of employees at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to her, if a person performs technical or professional functions necessary for the safe operation of the nuclear power plant, this in itself is not a crime. But if we are talking about administrative and managerial functions in the interests of the occupying authorities, the assessment may be different.
The expert believes that the problem lies in the imperfection of the legislation: some criminal offenses overlap, and a clear line between treason, collaboration, and war crimes is not always evident.
According to her, the Office of the Prosecutor General is working on drafting a bill intended to systematically bring Ukrainian criminal and criminal procedure legislation into compliance with the Rome Statute.
Such reform is important not only for domestic judicial practice but also for Ukraine’s international reputation. Cases involving war crimes and collaboration are closely monitored by international organizations, and the quality of judicial proceedings can influence the trust of partners, European integration, and future compensation mechanisms.
Almost 8 out of 10 Ukrainian companies ended 2025 with a profit, according to financial reporting data. Out of 222,000 businesses, every fifth company turned out to be loss-making. The largest share of profitable companies was among medium-sized businesses, while small businesses proved to be the most profitable: half of such companies earned more than UAH 5 in profit from every UAH 100 of revenue. Ukrhydroenergo, Ukrnafta and Energoatom received the largest net profit last year.
78% of Ukrainian companies included in the analysis of financial statements for 2025 ended the year with a profit: 173,510 enterprises. Another 21%, or 45,752 businesses, recorded losses, while 1% ended the year practically at break-even: 3,005 companies.
We are monitoring companies’ financial statements in Opendatabot.
How did we calculate this? In total, 429,800 companies submitted financial statements. For the analysis, 222,300 companies were selected that did not have non-profit status, had revenue above 0, provided data on net profit and had one of the following legal forms: limited liability company, private enterprise, farm, joint-stock company or subsidiary. Large businesses included companies with revenue from UAH 1 billion, the medium segment included companies with revenue from UAH 100 million to UAH 1 billion, and all companies with revenue below UAH 100 million were grouped as small businesses.
Medium-sized businesses turned out to be the most profitable: 89% of companies. These are enterprises with revenue from UAH 100 million to UAH 1 billion. Large businesses lagged only slightly: among companies with revenue above UAH 1 billion, 86% made a profit. In the small business segment, where annual revenue does not exceed UAH 100 million, the share of profitable enterprises was 77%.
At the same time, if sales profitability is assessed, small businesses have the best indicators: half of such companies have profitability above 5%. By contrast, half of large profitable enterprises operate with profitability below 2.6%. For half of medium-sized companies, this figure does not exceed 3.85%.
Top 10 most profitable companies in Ukraine
Ukrhydroenergo declared the largest net profit in 2025 – UAH 20.91 billion. The top three also included Ukrnafta with UAH 16.05 billion and Energoatom with UAH 11.85 billion in profit.
The top ten companies with the largest net profit also included Gas TSO of Ukraine, Centrenergo, Roshen, UMZ, SCM Finance, Ukrfinzhytlo and D. Trading.
