unian--2020-12-31--Year's balance: Ukraine's economy weathers a corona blow, looking to the future with hope

Ukraine , like the rest of the world this year , faced an unprecedented challenge – the coronavirus pandemic , which provoked a deep economic crisis .
Despite insufficient government assistance , the national economy has adapted and prevailed , having gained important wins in a number of areas .
The year 2020 is coming to an end , having put all mankind in a state of shock .
The pandemic became a `` black swan '' that hit global economy with its heavy wing , still threatening to turn into a lingering crisis .
At the start of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued growth in the global and most national economies .
That was before most prosperous European economies with strong health care systems were forced to go on lockdown .
Other countries followed suit , including the world 's largest economies – the U.S. , China , Japan , and UK .
The rapid hike in the spread rate and deaths , along with the feverish measures by governments to support their fellow citizens and national economies have put an end to hopes that countries will be able to go through the dramatic period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the year , the authorities in most countries went for last-resort measures , introducing long-term strict quarantine restrictions in order to at least somehow curb the spread of the novel disease .
For a while , these measures proved efficient to cope with the first wave of the pandemic , but in the fall the second one struck , so governments had to revisit their lockdown practices .
Mass vaccination , launched by year-end in a number of developed countries , gives hope for victory in the difficult fight against COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of the world 's population in a short period of time .
As for Ukraine , tentative forecasts suggest the vaccine will come in as late as the spring or summer of 2021 .
In this regard , it would be plausible to suggest , as many experts do , that the return to the old lifestyle would be delayed until next fall – and that 's an optimistic outlook .
Quarantine restrictions delivered a particularly hard blow to the sectors of global economy that are directly related to the services and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tourism , hotels , catering , entertainment , and retail .
According to experts , the global gross domestic product by the end of 2020 will fall by more than 4 % .
To support the affected businesses and the population , many governments have introduced various preferences and incentives , as well as offered direct payments from the budget to maintain effective demand and mitigate the effect of the plunge .
Of course , such generosity will cost in the future , but the authorities in many countries are now much more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Depression of the 1930s , which many economists fear .
Lockdown and its effect on economy Ukraine , along with other countries , went for a two-month lockdown this March .
After that , the country switched to the so-called adaptive quarantine – depending on the level of morbidity and hospital load in each region , different restrictive measures were established locally .
At the end of the year , the Cabinet of Ministers tightened quarantine on weekends before ultimately abandoning the idea , and on the eve of the New Year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' threat zone , have been put in effect throughout the country .
The peculiarity of the national lockdown was that it was introduced when only a few cases of coronavirus were recorded in the country .
Thus , the authorities decided to postpone the testing of the health care system 's resilience .
More or less , the government has managed to enhance the level of hospital and healthcare workers ' readiness for combatting the pandemic .
That is why , even when over 15,000 new daily cases were being recorded in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring life in the country to a full halt .
However , stating that saving lives is top priority , the government has actually sacrificed national economy , which had been experiencing serious problems even beyond the coronacrisis issues .
After a slowdown in GDP growth to 1.5 % in the fourth quarter of 2019 , a 0.2 percent drop was recorded in January-February 2020 .
The new problems that the unstable economy faced led to the fall of President Volodymyr Zelensky 's first government .
Young market romantics from the Cabinet led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executives '' with Denys Shmyhal at the helm .
Realizing that no growth could be expected in 2020 , the government prepared sequestration of the state budget , which in April found support from Parliament .
As a result , the budget deficit tripled to 7.5 % of GDP , or UAH 300 billion .
Also , the MPs set up a coronavirus response fund in the state budget , which amounted to almost UAH 65 billion .
Surprisingly , most of the money went to road repairs as part of the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moves pursued by authorities has become a characteristic feature of Ukraine 's fight against coronacrisis .
There was often an impression that the officials simply did n't know what to do .
At the same time , for medium and small businesses , government aid was offered in the form of a preferential lending program `` 5-7-9 '' , as well as assistance for partial unemployment .
That is , Ukraine applied the same support programs as in developed economies , but with much more modest cash injections .
With regard to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronacrisis , Ukraine was no black sheep .
It should be noted that the pandemic and the need for social distancing have given a powerful impetus to the development of a number of industries and spheres .
First of all , it 's e-commerce , delivery services , and modern technologies with a minimum human engagement .
Besides , against the backdrop of increasing demand for food , Ukrainian agricultural business started to discover new markets and strengthened presence in traditional ones .
The country 's economic life proceeded along a sinusoidal pattern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's GDP fell by 11.4 % , but then the situation stabilized and even began to improve .
One of the indicators was industrial output , which dropped 16 % in April over the days of the most severe quarantine , but then managed to reach a 5 % decline trajectory for the 10 months .
According to the State Statistics Service , in the third quarter , the GDP fall stood at 3.5 % on year .
At the same time , compared to the previous disastrous quarter , real GDP , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased by 8.5 % , which means that the Ukrainian economy is actually on a path toward recovery .
By the end of 2020 , the government expects the national economy to fall by 5 % .
`` Today we clearly understand that this year we will lose no more than 5 % of GDP over this crisis , '' Prime Minister Shmyhal said confidently in December .
Inflation in 2020 hit record lows of around 2 % at the height of the crisis due to a sharp decline in consumer demand and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time , in November inflation accelerated to 3.8 % in annual terms and , apparently , will keep rising .
In the conditions of the ongoing economic crisis , Ukraine never refused to fulfill its obligations to creditors and regularly paid on its debts .
This policy of avoiding default allowed the National Bank to prevent panic on the foreign exchange market and moderately weaken the hryvnia .
While in January the exchange rate was at UAH 24 per dollar , by the end of the year it exceeded UAH 28 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months of the global economic storm testifies to the strength of the national currency , it must be admitted .
In the summer of 2020 , Ukrainian authorities managed to enlist the support of the country 's key creditor , the International Monetary Fund .
In June , the Fund approved a Stand-By Arrangement for Ukraine for a period of 18 months , in the amount of $ 5 billion .
In the first tranche , Ukraine immediately received $ 2.1 billion .
According to plan , by the end of the year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more tranches of $ 700 million each .
In addition , in July , Ukraine agreed with the European Union to receive macro-financial assistance in the amount of EUR 1.2 billion .
As is often the case , the authorities were in no hurry to comply with creditors ' demands , although the president and prime minister regularly spoke of the ongoing implementation of structural beacons set by the IMF .
In early December , while the existing agreements with the IMF and the EU were in place , no tranches were received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems facing the national budget .
In November , the State Treasury was forced to disburse payments for secured expenditures only .
The situation was critical because within a short time it was necessary to find about UEH 100 billion .
But in December , the European Commission finally allocated the first tranche of EUR 600 million , and the Ministry of Finance in December raised more than UAH 110 billion for the government domestic loan bonds .
Moreover , at the end of the year , the IMF review mission finally began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to receive the second tranche under the SBA as early as the first quarter of 2021 .
The ongoing crisis became an important stimulus for change in Ukraine .
In some areas , the sprouts of the new were rising faster , being revolutionary in nature .
Social distancing rules have accelerated the transition of the government and many businesses online .
This year , the Diia portal of public services was launched , and the corresponding mobile application has already been installed by more than 6 million citizens .
Already today , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be registered as an entrepreneur or open a limited liability company , as well as receive about 50 public services in digital format , including receiving a driver 's license , a birth certificate for a newborn , and using digital IDs for internal travel .
Curator of this area , Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov , says in 2021 , the Ministry of Digital Transformation seeks to transfer all public services to digital format and completely shift away from paperwork .
Strategically important for Ukraine , which is one of the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the adoption this spring of a truly historic law on the launch of the farmland market , which will take place from July 1 , 2021 .
And although this was a rather curtailed version of the reform , liberalization of the industry as such could bring significant changes and new opportunities for development .
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal , the law should increase fivefold the cost of a hectare of Ukrainian land , and nearly $ 100 billion is expected to be invested in the industry in the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very productive for the country 's infrastructure industry .
Within the framework of the `` Big Construction '' state program launched in March , about 4,000 kilometers of roads was repaired , which is almost five times more than in 2019 , setting an absolute record in the history of independent Ukraine .
In 2021 , the record may be broken , as the Cabinet seeks to allocate even more funds to road infrastructure – more than UAH 150 billion compared to UAH 120 billion in 2020 .
At the same time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but also start massively reconstructing bridges .
Significant for the country in the outgoing year were the tenders for the transfer to the concession of two major ports – Kherson and Olvia ( Mykolaiv ) .
In the first case , the Risoil-Kherson company undertakes to invest more than UAH 300 million in its development within 30 years of using the Kherson port facilities .
The port of Olvia will be used by the Qatari company QTerminals for the next 35 years .
The concessionaire has undertaken to pay the state UAH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion in the port development over the next five years .
Assessing the prospects for 2021 , we must admit that the main challenges for the government will remain the same – the fight against coronavirus and work toward economic recovery .
So far , the Cabinet does not intend to abandon its macroeconomic forecast for 2021 made back in the summer , which provides for the GDP growth at 4.6 % .
At the same time , even the head of the Ministry of Economy , Ihor Petrashko , does n't rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 , a pandemic could lead to a 3 % drop in GDP .
According to him , the government plans to achieve the scheduled high growth rates through stimulus measures .
As is often the case , ministers stopped short of specifying what these measures will be .
Perhaps they will be presented together with the National Economic Strategy of Ukraine until 2030 , which should be finalized by April .
In 2021 , the authorities want to finally start a large privatization and attract at least UAH 12 billion to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remembered for the successful sale of the Dnipro Hotel in the heart of Kyiv .
At the auction , the starting price increased almost fourteen times , to UAH 1.11 billion .
The State Property Fund promises to do something similar in 2021 with state-owned thermal power plants and regional energy distribution companies , the Odesa Port Plant , and a number of other SOEs .
However , to this end , the Rada must lift its own ban on selling objects of large-scale privatization pending quarantine .
The government also plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a concession basis .
Moreover , not only ports will be put up for concession , but also airports , railway stations , and highways .
At the same time , next year , the government again needs to solve a puzzle of finding money to pay off and service the state debt .
In 2021 , this requires $ 16 billion .
It is clear that it will be very difficult to accomplish without the support of external creditors .
Ukrainians in 2021 can count on an increase in the minimum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as on a slight indexation of pensions .
Along with this , however , bills will also grow significantly .
The Cabinet of Ministers in late December canceled the preferential electricity tariffs for households , while next year , gas transmission , central heating , and water supply tariffs will rise .
At the same time , in the 2021 State Budget , the Verkhovna Rada has laid UAH 36.6 billion for utility subsidies , which is half a billion below the figure provided in 2020 .
Fortunately , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal income tax , `` military duty '' , and a single social contribution have not changed .
But taxes tied to the `` minimum wage '' will naturally grow – this primarily concerns taxes for individual entrepreneurs and real estate tax .
It is obvious that Ukraine is facing a rather difficult year .
And the first test starts on January 8 : a nationwide three-week tough quarantine will come into force .
It is likely that it will be repeated more than once throughout the year , so it is better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will soon return to its former course .
However , things are n't that bad .
After all , the pandemic has reaffirmed the simple truth that any crisis is the best time for change .
Therefore , it is advisable for Ukraine and its citizens not to lose sanity , to remain calm , if possible , stick to a healthy lifestyle , and try not to miss the window of opportunity , which in other periods is usually tightly closed .
And then everything will be fine .
Happy New Year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on our site , select it and press Ctrl+Enter

Ukraine, like the rest of the world this year, faced an unprecedented challenge – the coronavirus pandemic, which provoked a deep economic crisis. Despite insufficient government assistance, the national economy has adapted and prevailed, having gained important wins in a number of areas.
The year 2020 is coming to an end, having put all mankind in a state of shock. The pandemic became a "black swan" that hit global economy with its heavy wing, still threatening to turn into a lingering crisis.
At the start of the year, many experts were optimistic of continued growth in the global and most national economies. That was before most prosperous European economies with strong health care systems were forced to go on lockdown.
Other countries followed suit, including the world's largest economies – the U.S., China, Japan, and UK.
Видео дня
The rapid hike in the spread rate and deaths, along with the feverish measures by governments to support their fellow citizens and national economies have put an end to hopes that countries will be able to go through the dramatic period with minimal losses.
Over the course of the year, the authorities in most countries went for last-resort measures, introducing long-term strict quarantine restrictions in order to at least somehow curb the spread of the novel disease.
For a while, these measures proved efficient to cope with the first wave of the pandemic, but in the fall the second one struck, so governments had to revisit their lockdown practices.
Mass vaccination, launched by year-end in a number of developed countries, gives hope for victory in the difficult fight against COVID-19. However, it's impossible to vaccinate most of the world's population in a short period of time. As for Ukraine, tentative forecasts suggest the vaccine will come in as late as the spring or summer of 2021.
In this regard, it would be plausible to suggest, as many experts do, that the return to the old lifestyle would be delayed until next fall – and that's an optimistic outlook.
Quarantine restrictions delivered a particularly hard blow to the sectors of global economy that are directly related to the services and engagement. These are passenger transportation, tourism, hotels, catering, entertainment, and retail. According to experts, the global gross domestic product by the end of 2020 will fall by more than 4%.
To support the affected businesses and the population, many governments have introduced various preferences and incentives, as well as offered direct payments from the budget to maintain effective demand and mitigate the effect of the plunge. Of course, such generosity will cost in the future, but the authorities in many countries are now much more afraid of a repeat of the Great Depression of the 1930s, which many economists fear.
Lockdown and its effect on economy
Ukraine, along with other countries, went for a two-month lockdown this March. After that, the country switched to the so-called adaptive quarantine – depending on the level of morbidity and hospital load in each region, different restrictive measures were established locally.
At the end of the year, the Cabinet of Ministers tightened quarantine on weekends before ultimately abandoning the idea, and on the eve of the New Year, quarantine measures characteristic of the "orange" threat zone, have been put in effect throughout the country.
The peculiarity of the national lockdown was that it was introduced when only a few cases of coronavirus were recorded in the country. Thus, the authorities decided to postpone the testing of the health care system's resilience.
More or less, the government has managed to enhance the level of hospital and healthcare workers' readiness for combatting the pandemic. That is why, even when over 15,000 new daily cases were being recorded in the fourth quarter, this didn't bring life in the country to a full halt.
However, stating that saving lives is top priority, the government has actually sacrificed national economy, which had been experiencing serious problems even beyond the coronacrisis issues.
After a slowdown in GDP growth to 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2019, a 0.2 percent drop was recorded in January-February 2020.
The new problems that the unstable economy faced led to the fall of President Volodymyr Zelensky's first government. Young market romantics from the Cabinet led by Oleksiy Honcharuk gave way to "executives" with Denys Shmyhal at the helm.
Realizing that no growth could be expected in 2020, the government prepared sequestration of the state budget, which in April found support from Parliament. As a result, the budget deficit tripled to 7.5% of GDP, or UAH 300 billion.
Also, the MPs set up a coronavirus response fund in the state budget, which amounted to almost UAH 65 billion. Surprisingly, most of the money went to road repairs as part of the presidential Big Construction Project.
Certain chaos in the moves pursued by authorities has become a characteristic feature of Ukraine's fight against coronacrisis. There was often an impression that the officials simply didn't know what to do. At the same time, for medium and small businesses, government aid was offered in the form of a preferential lending program "5-7-9", as well as assistance for partial unemployment. That is, Ukraine applied the same support programs as in developed economies, but with much more modest cash injections.
With regard to assistance to the industries most affected by coronacrisis, Ukraine was no black sheep.
It should be noted that the pandemic and the need for social distancing have given a powerful impetus to the development of a number of industries and spheres.
First of all, it's e-commerce, delivery services, and modern technologies with a minimum human engagement. Besides, against the backdrop of increasing demand for food, Ukrainian agricultural business started to discover new markets and strengthened presence in traditional ones.
Ukrainian rollercoaster
The country's economic life proceeded along a sinusoidal pattern: in the second quarter, Ukraine's GDP fell by 11.4%, but then the situation stabilized and even began to improve.
One of the indicators was industrial output, which dropped 16% in April over the days of the most severe quarantine, but then managed to reach a 5% decline trajectory for the 10 months.
According to the State Statistics Service, in the third quarter, the GDP fall stood at 3.5% on year. At the same time, compared to the previous disastrous quarter, real GDP, taking into account the seasonal factor, increased by 8.5%, which means that the Ukrainian economy is actually on a path toward recovery.
By the end of 2020, the government expects the national economy to fall by 5%.
"Today we clearly understand that this year we will lose no more than 5% of GDP over this crisis," Prime Minister Shmyhal said confidently in December.
Inflation in 2020 hit record lows of around 2% at the height of the crisis due to a sharp decline in consumer demand and business activity amid quarantine restrictions. At the same time, in November inflation accelerated to 3.8% in annual terms and, apparently, will keep rising.
Relations with IMF
In the conditions of the ongoing economic crisis, Ukraine never refused to fulfill its obligations to creditors and regularly paid on its debts.
This policy of avoiding default allowed the National Bank to prevent panic on the foreign exchange market and moderately weaken the hryvnia. While in January the exchange rate was at UAH 24 per dollar, by the end of the year it exceeded UAH 28. Four hryvnias up over the 12 months of the global economic storm testifies to the strength of the national currency, it must be admitted.
In the summer of 2020, Ukrainian authorities managed to enlist the support of the country's key creditor, the International Monetary Fund. In June, the Fund approved a Stand-By Arrangement for Ukraine for a period of 18 months, in the amount of $5 billion. In the first tranche, Ukraine immediately received $2.1 billion.
According to plan, by the end of the year the IMF was set to transfer two more tranches of $700 million each. In addition, in July, Ukraine agreed with the European Union to receive macro-financial assistance in the amount of EUR 1.2 billion.
As is often the case, the authorities were in no hurry to comply with creditors' demands, although the president and prime minister regularly spoke of the ongoing implementation of structural beacons set by the IMF.
In early December, while the existing agreements with the IMF and the EU were in place, no tranches were received whatsoever. And this came amid serious problems facing the national budget. In November, the State Treasury was forced to disburse payments for secured expenditures only.
The situation was critical because within a short time it was necessary to find about UEH 100 billion. But in December, the European Commission finally allocated the first tranche of EUR 600 million, and the Ministry of Finance in December raised more than UAH 110 billion for the government domestic loan bonds.
Moreover, at the end of the year, the IMF review mission finally began its work, so the Cabinet expects to receive the second tranche under the SBA as early as the first quarter of 2021.
Small wins
The ongoing crisis became an important stimulus for change in Ukraine. In some areas, the sprouts of the new were rising faster, being revolutionary in nature.
Social distancing rules have accelerated the transition of the government and many businesses online.
This year, the Diia portal of public services was launched, and the corresponding mobile application has already been installed by more than 6 million citizens. Already today, Ukrainians can in a matter of minutes be registered as an entrepreneur or open a limited liability company, as well as receive about 50 public services in digital format, including receiving a driver's license, a birth certificate for a newborn, and using digital IDs for internal travel.
Curator of this area, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, says in 2021, the Ministry of Digital Transformation seeks to transfer all public services to digital format and completely shift away from paperwork.
Strategically important for Ukraine, which is one of the world's largest producers of agricultural products, was the adoption this spring of a truly historic law on the launch of the farmland market, which will take place from July 1, 2021. And although this was a rather curtailed version of the reform, liberalization of the industry as such could bring significant changes and new opportunities for development.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the law should increase fivefold the cost of a hectare of Ukrainian land, and nearly $100 billion is expected to be invested in the industry in the next 10 years.
The outgoing year was very productive for the country's infrastructure industry. Within the framework of the "Big Construction" state program launched in March, about 4,000 kilometers of roads was repaired, which is almost five times more than in 2019, setting an absolute record in the history of independent Ukraine.
In 2021, the record may be broken, as the Cabinet seeks to allocate even more funds to road infrastructure – more than UAH 150 billion compared to UAH 120 billion in 2020. At the same time, they plan to not only build roads, but also start massively reconstructing bridges.
Significant for the country in the outgoing year were the tenders for the transfer to the concession of two major ports – Kherson and Olvia (Mykolaiv).
In the first case, the Risoil-Kherson company undertakes to invest more than UAH 300 million in its development within 30 years of using the Kherson port facilities. The port of Olvia will be used by the Qatari company QTerminals for the next 35 years. The concessionaire has undertaken to pay the state UAH 82 million annually, investing UAH 3.4 billion in the port development over the next five years.
Hopes and plans for 2021
Assessing the prospects for 2021, we must admit that the main challenges for the government will remain the same – the fight against coronavirus and work toward economic recovery.
So far, the Cabinet does not intend to abandon its macroeconomic forecast for 2021 made back in the summer, which provides for the GDP growth at 4.6%. At the same time, even the head of the Ministry of Economy, Ihor Petrashko, doesn't rule out that in the first quarter of 2021, a pandemic could lead to a 3% drop in GDP. According to him, the government plans to achieve the scheduled high growth rates through stimulus measures.
As is often the case, ministers stopped short of specifying what these measures will be. Perhaps they will be presented together with the National Economic Strategy of Ukraine until 2030, which should be finalized by April.
In 2021, the authorities want to finally start a large privatization and attract at least UAH 12 billion to the budget.
The year 2020 will be remembered for the successful sale of the Dnipro Hotel in the heart of Kyiv. At the auction, the starting price increased almost fourteen times, to UAH 1.11 billion.
The State Property Fund promises to do something similar in 2021 with state-owned thermal power plants and regional energy distribution companies, the Odesa Port Plant, and a number of other SOEs. However, to this end, the Rada must lift its own ban on selling objects of large-scale privatization pending quarantine.
The government also plans to expand the practice of leasing infrastructure facilities on a concession basis. Moreover, not only ports will be put up for concession, but also airports, railway stations, and highways.
At the same time, next year, the government again needs to solve a puzzle of finding money to pay off and service the state debt. In 2021, this requires $16 billion. It is clear that it will be very difficult to accomplish without the support of external creditors.
Ukrainians in 2021 can count on an increase in the minimum wage to UAH 6,000 from January 1, as well as on a slight indexation of pensions.
Along with this, however, bills will also grow significantly. The Cabinet of Ministers in late December canceled the preferential electricity tariffs for households, while next year, gas transmission, central heating, and water supply tariffs will rise.
At the same time, in the 2021 State Budget, the Verkhovna Rada has laid UAH 36.6 billion for utility subsidies, which is half a billion below the figure provided in 2020.
Fortunately, so far in Ukraine, the rates of personal income tax, "military duty", and a single social contribution have not changed. But taxes tied to the "minimum wage" will naturally grow – this primarily concerns taxes for individual entrepreneurs and real estate tax.
It is obvious that Ukraine is facing a rather difficult year. And the first test starts on January 8: a nationwide three-week tough quarantine will come into force. It is likely that it will be repeated more than once throughout the year, so it is better to immediately discard the illusion that life will soon return to its former course.
However, things aren't that bad. After all, the pandemic has reaffirmed the simple truth that any crisis is the best time for change. Therefore, it is advisable for Ukraine and its citizens not to lose sanity, to remain calm, if possible, stick to a healthy lifestyle, and try not to miss the window of opportunity, which in other periods is usually tightly closed. And then everything will be fine. Happy New Year!
Dmytro Shvarts


unian--2020-12-31--Two Ukrainian women with seven children freed from Syria camp for ISIS suspects' families

In total , 57 more people are expected to return home from Syria .
Two Ukrainian women and their seven children have been released from a camp for Islamic State ( ISIS ) suspects ' families in Syria .
This was reported by the TV news service TSN , referring to its correspondent Andriy Tsaplienko .
Read alsoUkraine 's court jails two foreigners for involvement in ISIS smuggling chain – SBU The evacuation of the women and the children from Syria is currently under way .
That is , nine people will return to Ukraine .
It is known that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the other is from Crimea .
They were released as part of a special evacuation operation by Ukrainian special services , diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies under the aegis of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
The special operation will be held in several stages .
In total , 57 more people are expected to return home .
In February , Tsaplienko found Ukrainian citizens in the al-Hawl refugee camp whose husbands had fought for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq .
The camp is designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70,000 people live there .
Of them , over 95 % are women and children .
`` A year ago , we found almost forty of our fellow citizens and their children living in the terrible conditions of a camp for families of terrorists of ISIS , the most violent organization of radical Islam .
The Ukrainians begged [ us ] to bring them home .
And here we 're coming back .
The women are now in Iraq where a Ukrainian plane is waiting for them , '' Tsaplienko said on Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Georgia one of top IS terrorists detained in 2019 • Rights activists submit motion to ICC on Russia 's crimes in Crimea

In total, 57 more people are expected to return home from Syria.
Two Ukrainian women and their seven children have been released from a camp for Islamic State (ISIS) suspects' families in Syria.
This was reported by the TV news service TSN, referring to its correspondent Andriy Tsaplienko.
Read alsoUkraine's court jails two foreigners for involvement in ISIS smuggling chain – SBU
Видео дня
The evacuation of the women and the children from Syria is currently under way. That is, nine people will return to Ukraine.
It is known that one of the women is from Kremenchuk, and the other is from Crimea.
They were released as part of a special evacuation operation by Ukrainian special services, diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies under the aegis of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The special operation will be held in several stages. In total, 57 more people are expected to return home.
In February, Tsaplienko found Ukrainian citizens in the al-Hawl refugee camp whose husbands had fought for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The camp is designed for 11,000 people, but more than 70,000 people live there. Of them, over 95% are women and children.
"A year ago, we found almost forty of our fellow citizens and their children living in the terrible conditions of a camp for families of terrorists of ISIS, the most violent organization of radical Islam. The Ukrainians begged [us] to bring them home. And here we're coming back. The women are now in Iraq where a Ukrainian plane is waiting for them," Tsaplienko said on Facebook on December 31.
Other related news reports


unian--2020-12-30--Ukraine drafting deals on free trade areas with five countries – Minister Petrashko

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Ukraine drafting deals on free trade areas with five countries – Minister Petrashko
18:45, 30.12.20 1640
These markets are seen as important for Ukrainian products.
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unian--2020-01-30--Pompeo's visit to Kyiv: Mission of apology or control?

It 's Washington that needs the Ukraine visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo more than Kyiv .
The `` leaked conversation scandal '' , created as a result of Trump 's miscalculations apparently hurt bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States .
After all , the U.S. President 's statements about `` the most corrupt '' country and people have made Ukraine toxic .
Zelensky , in fact , inherited the system from his predecessors and was drawn into the unpleasant story of U.S. internal showdowns ahead of the presidential election there .
However , Zelensky 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and decided to keep silent and distance themselves , but that was not enough .
The essence of the conflict was Trump 's desire to pursue inter-state affairs by the `` profit for profit '' formula , which fits perfectly into the business logic where everyone seeks benefits .
The U.S. president was also seeking benefits , and has therefore reportedly held military aid to our state in exchange for restarting a criminal case against Joe Biden 's son , which , according to Trump 's plan , would hurt his opponent 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the corners , and his visit to the president of Ukraine is an opportunity to reassure him of U.S. support .
However , Pompeo has not come to Kyiv to get new evidence against Biden .
However , it should be noted that any words of support should be followed by action .
At the very least , Washington could appoint an ambassador to Kyiv , which would indicate U.S. interest in strengthening NATO 's `` eastern outpost . ''
After all , the temporary void at the ambassador 's post gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is also important to find someone who would pursue Kurt Volker 's mission .
The fact that the White House is in no rush to appoint such a professional may show that Washington is confident : Kyiv and Moscow are able to settle on their own .
Moreover , Donald Trump has already noted that Volodymyr Zelensky was able to speak with Vladimir Putin on his own ... Pompeo 's visit is also a test of how the American interests are being realized in our country .
Meetings with business CEOs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support at the same time .
After all , Joe Biden once visited Ukraine by the same scenario .
However , he also addressed the Ukrainian parliament .
This is definitely not part of Pompeo 's agenda .
Most likely , that 's because the main guarantor of the agreements is President Zelensky .
It is his high popular rating that holds together the whole configuration of power .
So Pompeo will not waste time in parliament when it would be enough to talk to the president .

It's Washington that needs the Ukraine visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo more than Kyiv.
The "leaked conversation scandal", created as a result of Trump's miscalculations apparently hurt bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States. After all, the U.S. President's statements about "the most corrupt" country and people have made Ukraine toxic.
Zelensky's team initially chose the wrong defense strategy
Zelensky, in fact, inherited the system from his predecessors and was drawn into the unpleasant story of U.S. internal showdowns ahead of the presidential election there. However, Zelensky's team initially chose the wrong defense strategy and decided to keep silent and distance themselves, but that was not enough.
The essence of the conflict was Trump's desire to pursue inter-state affairs by the "profit for profit" formula, which fits perfectly into the business logic where everyone seeks benefits. The U.S. president was also seeking benefits, and has therefore reportedly held military aid to our state in exchange for restarting a criminal case against Joe Biden's son, which, according to Trump's plan, would hurt his opponent's popular rating.
Pompeo has to even out the corners, and his visit to the president of Ukraine is an opportunity to reassure him of U.S. support. However, Pompeo has not come to Kyiv to get new evidence against Biden.
However, it should be noted that any words of support should be followed by action. At the very least, Washington could appoint an ambassador to Kyiv, which would indicate U.S. interest in strengthening NATO's "eastern outpost." After all, the temporary void at the ambassador's post gives rise to thoughts of likely bargaining underway.
It is also important to find someone who would pursue Kurt Volker's mission. The fact that the White House is in no rush to appoint such a professional may show that Washington is confident: Kyiv and Moscow are able to settle on their own. Moreover, Donald Trump has already noted that Volodymyr Zelensky was able to speak with Vladimir Putin on his own...
Pompeo's visit is also a test of how the American interests are being realized in Ukraine
Pompeo's visit is also a test of how the American interests are being realized in our country. Meetings with business CEOs and civic activists testify to control and support at the same time. After all, Joe Biden once visited Ukraine by the same scenario. However, he also addressed the Ukrainian parliament.
This is definitely not part of Pompeo's agenda. Most likely, that's because the main guarantor of the agreements is President Zelensky. It is his high popular rating that holds together the whole configuration of power. So Pompeo will not waste time in parliament when it would be enough to talk to the president.
Taras Semeniuk is a Ukrainian analyst with KyivStratPro


unian--2020-01-30--Central bank estimates Ukraine's GDP growth in 2019 at 3.3%

This estimate is based on the GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter of last year at 2.2 % .
The National Bank of Ukraine estimated Ukraine 's real GDP growth in 2019 at 3.3 % , that 's according to NBU governor Yakiv Smolii .
`` We expect GDP growth in 2019 to be at 3.3 % , '' he told reporters Thursday .
Deputy NBU chief Dmytro Solohub further explained that the estimate was based on a 2.2 % GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter of last year .
At the same time , he noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , economic growth would accelerate .
Read alsoCentral bank expects foreign reserves at over $ 29 billion by year-end '' This year we expect a slight acceleration of our economy .
Regarding the first quarter , our current estimate is GDP growth above 3 % , '' he said .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the National Bank retained its forecast for real GDP growth in Ukraine in 2020 at 3.5 % .
The growth of real GDP of Ukraine in the third quarter of 2019 amounted to 4.1 % in annual terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a whole at about 3.5 % will be the highest over the past eight years .
According to recent forecasts , the International Monetary Fund expects economic growth in Ukraine in 2020 at 3 % , and the World Bank – at 3.7 % .
The Ukrainian government predicts an increase in real GDP of Ukraine this year at 3.7 % , but intends to revise its forecasts .

Central bank estimates Ukraine's GDP growth in 2019 at 3.3%
23:10, 30.01.20 1280
This estimate is based on the GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter of last year at 2.2%.
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unian--2020-01-30--No new prisoner swap deal with Ukraine so far, Russian ombudsperson says

The official said she had received no relevant signals from Putin .
Ukraine and Russia have not reached new arrangements @ @ @ @ @ persons , according to Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova .
The official says she is unaware @ @ @ @ @ such exchange agreements , TASS reports .
`` As practice shows , work on the @ @ @ @ @ two states starts from the arrangement between the two presidents .
I 'm not aware @ @ @ @ @ I only heard statements by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky , while no signals have @ @ @ @ @ other side , '' Moskalkova said .
Read alsoUkraine to take back all its citizens @ @ @ @ @ to TCG Earlier , UNIAN reported that , according to Ukraine 's envoy to the @ @ @ @ @ Contact Group for Donbas settlement in Minsk , Oleksiy Reznikov , Ukraine intends to secure @ @ @ @ @ being held in occupied Donbas and Crimea , as well as in the Russian Federation @

The official said she had received no relevant signals from Putin.
Ukraine and Russia have not reached new arrangements for the exchange of held persons, according to Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova.
The official says she is unaware of any new information confirming such exchange agreements, TASS reports.
"As practice shows, work on the exchange of citizens between the two states starts from the arrangement between the two presidents. I'm not aware of such an arrangement. I only heard statements by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, while no signals have been sent yet from the other side," Moskalkova said.
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Read alsoUkraine to take back all its citizens from Russian captivity – envoy to TCG
Earlier, UNIAN reported that, according to Ukraine's envoy to the political subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas settlement in Minsk, Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine intends to secure the release of Ukrainian prisoners being held in occupied Donbas and Crimea, as well as in the Russian Federation.


unian--2020-01-30--Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO – BBC

The death toll is now at 170 in China .
Coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World @ @ @ @ @ outbreak continues to spread outside China .
`` The main reason for this declaration is @ @ @ @ @ China but what is happening in other countries , '' said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom @ @ @ @ @ BBC .
The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems @ @ @ @ @ now at 170 in China .
Read alsoChina coronavirus : Hong Kong researchers develop vaccine @ @ @ @ @ it – media The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 countries outside @ @ @ @ @ deaths .
There have been eight cases of human-to-human infection - in Germany , Japan @ @ @ @ @ States .
Dr Ghebreyesus , speaking at the press conference in Geneva , described coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ '' that has been met with an `` unprecedented response '' .
He praised China @ @ @ @ @ taken to prevent it from spreading .

The death toll is now at 170 in China.
Coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China.
"The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, according to the BBC.
The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems.
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The death toll is now at 170 in China.
Read alsoChina coronavirus: Hong Kong researchers develop vaccine but need time to test it – media
The WHO said there had been 98 cases in 18 countries outside of China, but no deaths.
There have been eight cases of human-to-human infection - in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States.
Dr Ghebreyesus, speaking at the press conference in Geneva, described coronavirus as an "unprecedented outbreak" that has been met with an "unprecedented response".
He praised China's "extraordinary measures" taken to prevent it from spreading.


unian--2020-01-30--Russia to build military base in Somalia – media

Moscow 's growing influence in Africa is worrying many in the West , the report says .
Russian officials are eyeing a port of Berbera as a location for their base on the coast of Somaliland , a self-declared state within Somalia on the Gulf of Aden , according to U.S. Defense Department officials .
Both China and the United States , with military bases in Djibouti , share the same coastline as the potential Russian port .
Russia has also expressed interest in building a naval logistics center in Eritrea , but it is unclear how far along those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to NYT .
About 1,500 miles south , down the eastern coast of Africa , Russian military transport planes landed last summer in Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique and , according to American officials , deployed about 160 personnel belonging to the Wagner Group , a Russian private military contractor .
The Mozambique government hired the Russian mercenaries to help beleaguered local security forces combat an insurgency that claimed to be affiliated with the Islamic State .
At least seven Russian personnel have been killed in operations , American officials say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hire .
American officials , analyzing what they call great power competition , say they are alarmed by Russia 's growing influence , as well as China 's , as Washington struggles to exert its economic and security goals on the continent .
This campaign for influence is playing out as U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is weighing the potential withdrawal of hundreds of forces from West Africa to better counter threats from Russia and China closer to their borders .
But Mr. Esper 's review has drawn sharp criticism from influential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cutting American forces in Africa would help only its rivals .

Moscow's growing influence in Africa is worrying many in the West, the report says.
Russian officials are eyeing a port of Berbera as a location for their base on the coast of Somaliland, a self-declared state within Somalia on the Gulf of Aden, according to U.S. Defense Department officials. Both China and the United States, with military bases in Djibouti, share the same coastline as the potential Russian port.
Russia has also expressed interest in building a naval logistics center in Eritrea, but it is unclear how far along those negotiations are, American officials said, according to NYT.
About 1,500 miles south, down the eastern coast of Africa, Russian military transport planes landed last summer in Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique and, according to American officials, deployed about 160 personnel belonging to the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor.
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The Mozambique government hired the Russian mercenaries to help beleaguered local security forces combat an insurgency that claimed to be affiliated with the Islamic State. At least seven Russian personnel have been killed in operations, American officials say, underscoring the risks facing troops for hire.
Read alsoErgodan says 2,000 Russian mercenaries deployed in Libya
American officials, analyzing what they call great power competition, say they are alarmed by Russia's growing influence, as well as China's, as Washington struggles to exert its economic and security goals on the continent.
This campaign for influence is playing out as U.S. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is weighing the potential withdrawal of hundreds of forces from West Africa to better counter threats from Russia and China closer to their borders.
But Mr. Esper's review has drawn sharp criticism from influential congressional Republicans and Democrats who argue that cutting American forces in Africa would help only its rivals.


unian--2020-01-30--MFA Ukraine elaborates on agenda of Prystaiko-Pompeo talks

The two top diplomats will meet in Kyiv Friday , January 31 .
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Secretary of State of the United States of America Mike Pompeo will be discussing issues of strengthening Ukraine 's defense capabilities , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported .
At 9:30 local time on Friday , the two will meet at the MFA Headquarters in Kyiv .
`` During the meeting , the issues will be discussed of further political cooperation to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine , strengthen defense capabilities , promote internal reforms in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperation , '' the statement said .
Following the negotiations , Prystaiko and Pompeo will lay flowers at the `` Wall in memory of those killed for Ukraine '' Memorial .
As UNIAN reported earlier , on January 31 , at 12:00 a meeting will be held in Kyiv between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
According to the U.S. State Department , also in Kyiv , Pompeo will meet with Defense Secretary Andriy Zagorodnyuk , business executives , civil society activists , and religious leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit Minsk , where he is set to meet with President Alexander Lukashenko .

The two top diplomats will meet in Kyiv Friday, January 31.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Secretary of State of the United States of America Mike Pompeo will be discussing issues of strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported.
At 9:30 local time on Friday, the two will meet at the MFA Headquarters in Kyiv.
"During the meeting, the issues will be discussed of further political cooperation to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, strengthen defense capabilities, promote internal reforms in our state, and develop economic and investment cooperation," the statement said.
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Read alsoU.S. joins EU, Canada in imposing fresh Crimea-related sanctions – media
Following the negotiations, Prystaiko and Pompeo will lay flowers at the "Wall in memory of those killed for Ukraine" Memorial.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on January 31, at 12:00 a meeting will be held in Kyiv between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
According to the U.S. State Department, also in Kyiv, Pompeo will meet with Defense Secretary Andriy Zagorodnyuk, business executives, civil society activists, and religious leaders.
On February 1, Pompeo will visit Minsk, where he is set to meet with President Alexander Lukashenko.


unian--2020-01-30--Ukraine needs foreign, domestic investment to reach success – economy minister

The Cabinet set the task to ensure a 40 % growth in gross domestic product ( GDP ) within five @ @ @ @ @ Economic Development , Trade and Agriculture Tymofiy Mylovanov says Ukraine in the next five years @ @ @ @ @ of U.S. dollars in foreign investment , but also at least double domestic investment to @ @ @ @ @ If we want to succeed , we need US $ 50 billion in foreign direct @ @ @ @ @ We also have to double the annual volume of domestic investment , '' he wrote @ @ @ @ @ .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the Cabinet of Ministers set the task to ensure @ @ @ @ @ gross domestic product ( GDP ) within five years .
Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk @ @ @ @ @ $ 50 billion in foreign investment .
In turn , Mylovanov said the attraction of @ @ @ @ @ five years would not only ensure a 40 % economic growth , but also reduce @ @ @ @ @ assets from 60 % to 48 % .

Ukraine needs foreign, domestic investment to reach success – economy minister
20:30, 30.01.20 1519
The Cabinet set the task to ensure a 40% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) within five years.
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unian--2020-01-30--Central bank expects foreign reserves at over $29 billion by year-end

The regulator also increased the expected balance of payments surplus in 2020 to $ 3.2 billion .
The National Bank @ @ @ @ @ reserves of Ukraine at the end of 2020 to $ 29.3 billion from $ 24 @ @ @ @ @ to the NBU , the forecast for 2021 is improved to $ 31.6 billion from @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2022 , the National Bank expects the growth of international reserves to $ @ @ @ @ @ also improved the forecast for the balance of payments , boosting the expected surplus in @ @ @ @ @ from $ 0.6 billion .
Read alsoUkraine 's central bank waiting for Naftogaz to sell @ @ @ @ @ bln on interbank market In 2021 , the National Bank expects a balance of payments @ @ @ @ @ instead of the previously forecasted deficit of $ 1.1 billion .
In 2022 , a @ @ @ @ @ 0.4 % is expected .
UNIAN memo .
Ukraine 's international reserves in 2019 grew @ @ @ @ @ $ 25.3 billion , reaching a seven-year high .

Central bank expects foreign reserves at over $29 bln by year-end
19:50, 30.01.20 928
The regulator also increased the expected balance of payments surplus in 2020 to $3.2 billion.
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unian--2020-01-30--Sentsov suggests ways to win war in Donbas, turns to Zelensky

Former Kremlin prisoner Oleh Sentsov noted that Ukraine should continue its fight and named the steps by Volodymyr Zelensky that he supports .
Ukrainian film director , released from Russian captivity in September 2019 in a prisoner swap effort , Oleh Sentsov , has made an unexpected statement that the only way to achieve peace in Donbas is defeat .
He noted that negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin is impossible , and turned to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
The ex-prisoner noted that Ukraine should continue the fight and called the steps taken by Zelensky that he supports .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ which in some respects does not coincide with that of our president .
In my opinion , we can not negotiate with Putin .
For us , the only way to achieve peace in Donbass is defeat .
We must give in , and after this , peace will come to Donbas .
But it will be peace of a conquered state , '' Sentsov said in an interview with the Voice of America .
He noted that the only alternative is to continue the fight , and only having survived , Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Read alsoUkraine did not ask Kremlin for Zelensky-Putin meeting in Israel – aide '' Not to give up .
We can not defeat Putin objectively by military means .
We can not kill him economically .
He has more resources , but we can simply refuse to give up and prevail in this confrontation .
I always compare Ukraine with the tower on which we stand as the horde storms us , and we just need to survive .
We can not go down and kill this horde – there are a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only have to survive , '' said the ex-prisoner of the Kremlin .
Sentsov supported Zelensky 's steps regarding the ceasefire and release of prisoners .
He noted that he did not believe that Putin would let Donbas integrate .
In addition , he said that Zelensky himself knows how everything should be done .
`` He is an adult , the leader of our country , knows what to do , so let him do it .
I do n't offer advice .
He has own advisors and he has his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how it should be done , '' summed up Sentsov .

Former Kremlin prisoner Oleh Sentsov noted that Ukraine should continue its fight and named the steps by Volodymyr Zelensky that he supports.
Ukrainian film director, released from Russian captivity in September 2019 in a prisoner swap effort, Oleh Sentsov, has made an unexpected statement that the only way to achieve peace in Donbas is defeat. He noted that negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin is impossible, and turned to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The ex-prisoner noted that Ukraine should continue the fight and called the steps taken by Zelensky that he supports.
"I have my own opinion, which in some respects does not coincide with that of our president. In my opinion, we cannot negotiate with Putin. For us, the only way to achieve peace in Donbass is defeat. We must give in, and after this, peace will come to Donbas. But it will be peace of a conquered state," Sentsov said in an interview with the Voice of America.
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He noted that the only alternative is to continue the fight, and only having survived, Ukraine will be able to defeat the horde.
Read alsoUkraine did not ask Kremlin for Zelensky-Putin meeting in Israel – aide
"Not to give up. We cannot defeat Putin objectively by military means. We cannot kill him economically. He has more resources, but we can simply refuse to give up and prevail in this confrontation. I always compare Ukraine with the tower on which we stand as the horde storms us, and we just need to survive. We cannot go down and kill this horde – there are a lot of them down there, we only have to survive," said the ex-prisoner of the Kremlin.
Sentsov supported Zelensky's steps regarding the ceasefire and release of prisoners. He noted that he did not believe that Putin would let Donbas integrate.
In addition, he said that Zelensky himself knows how everything should be done.
"He is an adult, the leader of our country, knows what to do, so let him do it. I don't offer advice. He has own advisors and he has his own head on his shoulders. He understands how it should be done," summed up Sentsov.


unian--2020-01-30--Hryvnia sliding after rapid growth: NBU names reasons

Traditional excess of imports over exports at the beginning of the year and foreign currency purchases by businesses to withdraw dividends are among them .
The National Bank of Ukraine has not changed its policy on the foreign exchange market and continues to adhere to the principles of flexible exchange rate formation , as stated by Deputy Head of the NBU , Dmytro Solohub , Commenting to journalists on the reasons for the hryvnia weakening in January after the rapid strengthening last year , he said : `` Nothing has changed in the policy of the National Bank on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ floating rate , it must correspond to fundamental parameters and it corresponds to them if you see current account indicators and other macroeconomic indicators . ''
Solohub emphasized that the regulator maintains presence on the market , smoothing out excessive fluctuations and replenishing reserves .
Speaking about the reasons for the weakening of the hryvnia in recent days , Solohub noted that at the beginning of the year , imports traditionally exceed exports , while businesses buy up foreign currency to withdraw dividends .
At the same time , he stated that since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has sold foreign currency worth almost $ 100 million .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the National Bank of Ukraine on Thursday , January 30 , set the official hryvnia exchange rate to the U.S. dollar at UAH 24.85 , which is 13 kopiykas below the previous figure .
Thus , the Ukrainian hryvnia fell against the dollar for the third day in a row – after sliding by 27 kopiykas on Tuesday and by 12 kopiykas on Wednesday .
In 2019 , the national currency of Ukraine at the official exchange rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , to UAH 23.69 , and to the euro – by 16.7 % , to UAH 26.42 .

Hryvnia sliding after rapid growth: NBU names reasons
18:30, 30.01.20 7377
Traditional excess of imports over exports at the beginning of the year and foreign currency purchases by businesses to withdraw dividends are among them.
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unian--2020-01-30--Ukraine's central bank waiting for Naftogaz to sell Gazprom's US$3 bln on interbank market

The NBU plans to buy that amount in U.S. dollars .
The National Bank of Ukraine ( NBU ) is @ @ @ @ @ 3 billion NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine has received from Russia 's Gazprom as part of @ @ @ @ @ sold on Ukraine 's interbank forex market .
`` We expect that the funds that @ @ @ @ @ the amount of almost US $ 3 billion will be sold [ exchanged for hryvnias @ @ @ @ @ national budget .
We will be on the [ interbank forex ] market and will @ @ @ @ @ NBU Governor Yakiv Smolii told reporters .
Read alsoNBU lets official hryvnia weaken to UAH @ @ @ @ @ Jan 30 As UNIAN reported earlier , the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine and @ @ @ @ @ interconnection agreement in Vienna on December 30 , 2019 .
The deal with Gazprom was @ @ @ @ @ agreements required for the extension of gas transit via Ukraine until 2025 .

Ukraine's central bank waiting for Naftogaz to sell Gazprom's US$3 bln on interbank market
17:50, 30.01.20 1805
The NBU plans to buy that amount in U.S. dollars.
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unian--2020-01-30--Ukraine central bank cuts key rate to lowest since 2014 – media

Last year , the central bank cut the rate five times , from 18.0 % to 13.5 % .
Falling inflation prompted Ukraine 's central bank to slash its main interest rate to 11 % from 13.5 % on Thursday , its lowest level since 2014 , and predict the rate would drop to 7 % by the end of the year .
Interest rates have been in double digits since Ukraine plunged into turmoil following Russia 's annexation of Crimea in 2014 , but they were cut five times in 2019 as inflation eased back down from crisis levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vows 11 % -12 % interest rate on loans as early as next summer Thursday 's cut by the National Bank of Ukraine ( NBU ) was even more aggressive than what was predicted by most analysts in a Reuters poll before the decision .
Tight monetary policy had pushed inflation down from double digits to 9.8 % in 2018 and 4.1 % in 2019 , a six-year-low .
The decline prompted calls from the government for rate cuts to boost economic growth and make loans cheaper for industry , which provides more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ output .
`` The NBU continues to ease its monetary policy with the aim of maintaining inflation at the target level of 5 % and supporting steady economic growth , '' the central bank said in a statement .
`` In light of the more rapid improvement in Ukraine 's macroeconomic conditions , the NBU expects to cut the key policy rate to 7 % by the end of 2020 , '' it added .
Last year , the central bank cut the rate five times , from 18.0 % to 13.5 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly in the first half of the year , though the pace could slow if inflation risks materialize , it said .
The central bank expects the economy to grow by 3.5 % in 2020 , slightly faster than the 3.3 % it sees for 2019 , provided Ukraine can get new loans from the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) this year .
Ukraine 's government secured provisional agreement with the IMF for a new loan deal in December , though disbursement is conditional on the government 's performance on reforms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be completed in the coming months .
Speaking to reporters after the rate announcement , Deputy Governor Dmytro Sologub said he expected the IMF to disburse US $ 1.7 billion in loans this year .

Last year, the central bank cut the rate five times, from 18.0% to 13.5%.
Falling inflation prompted Ukraine's central bank to slash its main interest rate to 11% from 13.5% on Thursday, its lowest level since 2014, and predict the rate would drop to 7% by the end of the year.
Interest rates have been in double digits since Ukraine plunged into turmoil following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, but they were cut five times in 2019 as inflation eased back down from crisis levels, Reuters said.
Read alsoPM Honcharuk vows 11%-12% interest rate on loans as early as next summer
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Thursday's cut by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) was even more aggressive than what was predicted by most analysts in a Reuters poll before the decision.
Tight monetary policy had pushed inflation down from double digits to 9.8% in 2018 and 4.1% in 2019, a six-year-low. The decline prompted calls from the government for rate cuts to boost economic growth and make loans cheaper for industry, which provides more than a quarter of Ukraine's economic output.
"The NBU continues to ease its monetary policy with the aim of maintaining inflation at the target level of 5% and supporting steady economic growth," the central bank said in a statement.
"In light of the more rapid improvement in Ukraine's macroeconomic conditions, the NBU expects to cut the key policy rate to 7% by the end of 2020," it added.
Last year, the central bank cut the rate five times, from 18.0% to 13.5%. It expects to cut rates more quickly in the first half of the year, though the pace could slow if inflation risks materialize, it said.
The central bank expects the economy to grow by 3.5% in 2020, slightly faster than the 3.3% it sees for 2019, provided Ukraine can get new loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this year.
Ukraine's government secured provisional agreement with the IMF for a new loan deal in December, though disbursement is conditional on the government's performance on reforms.
The central bank expects the IMF agreement to be completed in the coming months. Speaking to reporters after the rate announcement, Deputy Governor Dmytro Sologub said he expected the IMF to disburse US$1.7 billion in loans this year.


unian--2020-01-30--Ex-Deputy Minister Hrymchak suspected of fraud released from custody

Former Deputy Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Yuriy Hrymchak suspected of fraud has been released from custody .
`` Hrymchak 's case .
Finally , Yuriy Mykolaiovych [ Hrymchak ] is free , '' his lawyer Dmytro Melnyk wrote on Facebook on January 30 .
Hrymchak 's wife has also confirmed this information .
`` Today the court considered our motion to change the preventive measure against Hrymchak .
We had the right to file a motion within 30 days .
Judge [ Kateryna ] Shyroka has changed the preventive measure to round-the-clock house arrest , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Hrymchak and his assistant , Ihor Ovdienko , were detained on August 14 , 2019 , on bribery charges .
The two officials allegedly demanded US $ 1.1 million from a representative of a legal entity for `` exercising influence on decision-making by persons authorized to perform state functions . ''
Hrymchak and his assistant were caught red-handed amid receiving part of the sum in the amount of US $ 480,000 , the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine ( NABU ) said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistant 's arrest to be appealed – lawyer On August 15 , Hrymchak and his assistant were notified of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 190 `` Fraud Committed on an Especially Large Scale or by an Organized Group '' of the Criminal Code of Ukraine .
`` The individuals by deception took possession of other people 's property – money in a particularly large amount , '' NABU added .
The crime under the said article is punishable by imprisonment for a term from five to 12 years with confiscation of property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chernihiv 's Desniansky district court Natalia Liamzina ruled to take Hrymchak into custody , setting bail at UAH 6 million ( US $ 241,448 ) .
On August 17 , Chernihiv 's Desniansky district court ruled to take Ihor Ovdienko , Hrymchak 's assistant , into custody for two months , setting bail at UAH 4 million ( US $ 160,965 ) .
On November 14 , the High Anti-Corruption Court ( HACC ) extended Hrymchak 's detention for another two months .
On December 20 , an HACC judge reduced the amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Hrymchak's lawyers have confirmed this information.
Former Deputy Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Yuriy Hrymchak suspected of fraud has been released from custody.
"Hrymchak's case. Finally, Yuriy Mykolaiovych [Hrymchak] is free," his lawyer Dmytro Melnyk wrote on Facebook on January 30.
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Hrymchak's wife has also confirmed this information.
"Today the court considered our motion to change the preventive measure against Hrymchak. We had the right to file a motion within 30 days. Judge [Kateryna] Shyroka has changed the preventive measure to round-the-clock house arrest," another lawyer Tatyana Matyash told the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Hrymchak and his assistant, Ihor Ovdienko, were detained on August 14, 2019, on bribery charges.
The two officials allegedly demanded US$1.1 million from a representative of a legal entity for "exercising influence on decision-making by persons authorized to perform state functions." Hrymchak and his assistant were caught red-handed amid receiving part of the sum in the amount of US$480,000, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said.
Read alsoDeputy Minister Hrymchak, his assistant's arrest to be appealed – lawyer
On August 15, Hrymchak and his assistant were notified of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 190 "Fraud Committed on an Especially Large Scale or by an Organized Group" of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. "The individuals by deception took possession of other people's property – money in a particularly large amount," NABU added.
The crime under the said article is punishable by imprisonment for a term from five to 12 years with confiscation of property.
On August 16, judge of Chernihiv's Desniansky district court Natalia Liamzina ruled to take Hrymchak into custody, setting bail at UAH 6 million (US$241,448).
On August 17, Chernihiv's Desniansky district court ruled to take Ihor Ovdienko, Hrymchak's assistant, into custody for two months, setting bail at UAH 4 million (US$160,965).
On October 8, Kyiv's Pechersky district court extended Hrymchak's detention until November 14.
On November 14, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) extended Hrymchak's detention for another two months.
On December 20, an HACC judge reduced the amount of bail by almost 67%.


unian--2020-01-30--Ukrnafta boosts crude oil output by almost 5% in 2019

The company accounts for about 68 % of oil and condensate production , and 11 % of gas extraction in the country .
Ukraine 's largest oil producer , Ukrnafta , in 2019 boosted crude oil and condensate production by 4.7 % from 2018 to 1.516 million tonnes , increasing gas output by 7.5 % to 1.163 billion cubic meters ( bcm ) .
`` In 2019 , Ukrnafta increased its oil and condensate production and natural gas production .
The average daily production of oil and condensate increased by 4.6 % to 4.15 ktonnes/day against 3.97 ktonnes/day in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased from 2.96 mln m3/day to 3.18 mln m3/day , '' the company 's press service said in a statement on January 30 .
Read alsoUkrnafta pays US $ 20.8 mln in royalties for oil , gas production in Dec The company succeeded to get positive production results under of restricted investment due to works on the existing wells such as recompletions , optimization of capital and planned workovers and replacement of the outdated equipment , the report said .
The company continues introducing remote monitoring of wells equipped with electric submersible pumps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were added to the system .
Now the system covers 196 wells .
In total , last year , Ukrnafta completed seven hydraulic fracturing operations and 160 capital workovers , as well as performed 57 production intensification operations , taking 121 wells out of non-operation .
Thanks to these operations , the company managed to produce additional 173,400 tonnes of oil and condensate and 138.1 million cubic meters ( mcm ) of natural gas .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Ukrnafta in 2018 boosted crude oil and condensate production by 5 % from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reducing gas output by 2.3 % , to 1.082 bcm .
UNIAN memo .
Ukrnafta is the largest state-owned oil and gas company in Ukraine .
It accounts for about 68 % of oil and condensate production , and 11 % of gas extraction in the country .
Ukrnafta is one of the key players in the retail market for petroleum products in Ukraine : the company owns more than 560 fuel filling stations throughout the country .
Ukrnafta 's shares are listed on the Ukrainian Exchange ( UX ) and the PFTS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receipts for company 's shares are traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange .

Ukrnafta boosts crude oil output by almost 5% in 2019
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The company accounts for about 68% of oil and condensate production, and 11% of gas extraction in the country.
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unian--2020-01-30--Ukraine-EU trade estimated at US$42 bln in Jan-Nov 2019 – trade envoy

Europe is now a key market for Ukrainian exports , the official says .
Ukraine 's Deputy Minister of Economic Development , Trade and Agriculture , Trade Envoy Taras Kachka says trade between Ukraine and the European Union in January-November 2019 was estimated at US $ 42 billion , which accounted for 41.5 % of the country 's total trade turnover .
Read alsoIn five years , Ukraine to meet criteria for joining EU – Honcharuk '' The European market is now a key one for Ukrainian exports .
The number of Ukrainian exporters who supply their products to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the share of ] trade with the EU countries is 41.5 % in Ukraine 's total trade turnover .
In January-November 2019 , Ukraine-EU trade stood at US $ 42 billion , '' the ministry 's press service quoted Kachka as saying on January 29 .
During the sixth meeting of the Ukraine-EU Association Council on January 28 , the Ukrainian side initiated a discussion on revising the provisions of the Association Agreement since the Ukraine-EU current level of tariff liberalization does not correspond to the real volume of trade .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , investment and trade in services need expanding the contractual base .
In addition , the Ukrainian side proposed extending the scope of the domestic market regime in financial , telecommunications , postal , and courier services , which requires updating Annex XVII to the Association Agreement .
As UNIAN reported earlier , trade between Ukraine and the European Union in the first quarter of 2019 grew by 6 % year-over-year , to US $ 11.149 billion .

Ukraine-EU trade estimated at US$42 bln in Jan-Nov 2019 – trade envoy
16:07, 30.01.20 803
Europe is now a key market for Ukrainian exports, the official says.
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unian--2020-01-30--ECHR rejects ban on MH17 suspect Tsemakh's extradition to Netherlands

Tsemakh 's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said that `` despite such a decision by the Strasbourg court , he will continue to look for other ways to protect Tsemakh 's interests . ''
The European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) has rejected the request filed by Volodymyr Tsemakh , a suspect in the MH17 downing probe , in which he asked to ban his extradition to the Netherlands .
`` It is about Tsemakh 's complaint against the Netherlands and Ukraine .
In November , the ECHR rejected the plaintiff 's request for approval of an interim measure that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' a court representative said , the Russian news agency TASS reported .
Tsemakh 's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told the Russian news agency Interfax that `` despite such a decision by the Strasbourg court , he will continue to look for other ways to protect Tsemakh 's interests . ''
`` We are frustrated by the ECHR 's decision to reject our request for approval of an interim measure that would ban Tsemakh 's extradition to the Netherlands , '' the lawyer said .
He also said he personally did not receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service on December 2 said the Russian Federation had deliberately allowed Tsemakh to leave the country so as not to extradite him to the Netherlands .
On September 7 , Tsemakh was transferred to Russia as part of a major prisoner swap , as a result of which 24 Ukrainian sailors and 11 Ukrainian political prisoners returned home .
Later it became known that he had returned to the so-called `` Donetsk People 's Republic . ''
On September 7 , the Dutch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian authorities for Tsemakh 's temporary arrest for further extradition to the Netherlands .
On September 11 , the Netherlands changed Tsemakh 's status from a key witness to a suspect .

Tsemakh's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said that "despite such a decision by the Strasbourg court, he will continue to look for other ways to protect Tsemakh's interests."
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected the request filed by Volodymyr Tsemakh, a suspect in the MH17 downing probe, in which he asked to ban his extradition to the Netherlands.
"It is about Tsemakh's complaint against the Netherlands and Ukraine. In November, the ECHR rejected the plaintiff's request for approval of an interim measure that would prohibit his extradition to the Netherlands," a court representative said, the Russian news agency TASS reported.
Read alsoMH17 case: Kremlin spokesman declines to comment on Tsemakh
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Tsemakh's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told the Russian news agency Interfax that "despite such a decision by the Strasbourg court, he will continue to look for other ways to protect Tsemakh's interests."
"We are frustrated by the ECHR's decision to reject our request for approval of an interim measure that would ban Tsemakh's extradition to the Netherlands," the lawyer said. He also said he personally did not receive an official response from the Strasbourg court.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service on December 2 said the Russian Federation had deliberately allowed Tsemakh to leave the country so as not to extradite him to the Netherlands.
On September 7, Tsemakh was transferred to Russia as part of a major prisoner swap, as a result of which 24 Ukrainian sailors and 11 Ukrainian political prisoners returned home.
Later it became known that he had returned to the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic."
On September 7, the Dutch Prosecutor's Office sent a request to the Russian authorities for Tsemakh's temporary arrest for further extradition to the Netherlands.
On September 11, the Netherlands changed Tsemakh's status from a key witness to a suspect.


unian--2020-01-30--Ukraine did not ask Kremlin for Zelensky-Putin meeting in Israel – aide

Yermak says there were no requests for the meeting .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 's aide Andriy Yermak has said Ukraine did not send any requests to Russia for a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and his Russian counterpart , Vladimir Putin , when both were in Israel .
`` No meeting with Putin took place in Israel .
Media reports and certain statements by [ Putin 's aide ] Ushakov do not correspond to reality .
There were no requests for a meeting , '' he said , according to the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda .
Read alsoNo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jerusalem – Russian media Yermak said Zelensky had given Holocaust survivors the invitations of his delegation to the World Holocaust Forum not because of Putin who was scheduled to deliver a speech there .
According to Yermak , the topic of the Holocaust is close to the president and he was deeply touched that the people who had survived that tragedy could not be present at the forum , so he decided to allocate the seats to them .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Russian President Vladimir Putin 's aide Yuri Ushakov said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a meeting with the Russian leader in Israel .
Later , it became known the meeting did not take place .
On January 24 , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said if necessary , a meeting could be arranged for Putin and Zelensky .

Yermak says there were no requests for the meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's aide Andriy Yermak has said Ukraine did not send any requests to Russia for a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, when both were in Israel.
"No meeting with Putin took place in Israel. Media reports and certain statements by [Putin's aide] Ushakov do not correspond to reality. There were no requests for a meeting," he said, according to the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda.
Read alsoNo meeting held between Zelensky and Putin in Jerusalem – Russian media
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Yermak said Zelensky had given Holocaust survivors the invitations of his delegation to the World Holocaust Forum not because of Putin who was scheduled to deliver a speech there. According to Yermak, the topic of the Holocaust is close to the president and he was deeply touched that the people who had survived that tragedy could not be present at the forum, so he decided to allocate the seats to them.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said a request had come from Kyiv for a meeting with the Russian leader in Israel. Later, it became known the meeting did not take place.
On January 24, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said if necessary, a meeting could be arranged for Putin and Zelensky.


unian--2020-01-30--Kyiv ranks 12th in TomTom's 2019 Traffic Index

Traffic congestion is heaviest in the Indian city of Bengaluru .
Ukraine 's capital city of Kyiv ranks 12th among 416 cities across 57 countries on six continents , being third in Europe , according to the 2019 edition of TomTom 's Traffic Index , compiled by the Dutch navigation company TomTom .
Bangkok and Mexico City took 11th and 13th places , respectively , the Ekonomichna Pravda online newspaper wrote on January 29 , referring to the TomTom Traffic Index report .
In 2018 , the 13th place was occupied by Kyiv .
Traffic congestion levels in 2019 were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bengaluru , the capital city of the Philippines – Manila , and that of Colombia – Bogota .
Kyiv ranked third in Europe , following Istanbul , while Moscow topped the ranking .
Ukraine 's city of Odesa was seventh .
Kyiv residents spent 30 minutes a day on average in traffic jams .
Time lost in rush hours is nine days and 11 hours per year .
During this time , one could have knitted 57 hats or 10 sweaters , or watched 201 `` Game of Thrones '' episodes .
Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19:00 .
January 23 had the most traffic , while April 28 had the least one in 2019 .
Three more Ukrainian cities , namely Odesa , Kharkiv , and Dnipro ranked 8th , 29th , and 47th , respectively .
As UNIAN reported , Ukraine 's capital city of Kyiv earlier ranked 13th among the world 's 403 most traffic-choked cities , according to TomTom 's 2018 Traffic Index .

Traffic congestion is heaviest in the Indian city of Bengaluru.
Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv ranks 12th among 416 cities across 57 countries on six continents, being third in Europe, according to the 2019 edition of TomTom's Traffic Index, compiled by the Dutch navigation company TomTom.
Read alsoKyiv stuck in traffic amid heavy snowfall (Map)
Bangkok and Mexico City took 11th and 13th places, respectively, the Ekonomichna Pravda online newspaper wrote on January 29, referring to the TomTom Traffic Index report.
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In 2018, the 13th place was occupied by Kyiv.
Traffic congestion levels in 2019 were the highest in the Indian city of Bengaluru, the capital city of the Philippines – Manila, and that of Colombia – Bogota.
Kyiv ranked third in Europe, following Istanbul, while Moscow topped the ranking. Ukraine's city of Odesa was seventh.
Kyiv residents spent 30 minutes a day on average in traffic jams. Time lost in rush hours is nine days and 11 hours per year. During this time, one could have knitted 57 hats or 10 sweaters, or watched 201 "Game of Thrones" episodes.
Thursday had the worst rush hour 18:00 through 19:00. January 23 had the most traffic, while April 28 had the least one in 2019.
Three more Ukrainian cities, namely Odesa, Kharkiv, and Dnipro ranked 8th, 29th, and 47th, respectively.
As UNIAN reported, Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv earlier ranked 13th among the world's 403 most traffic-choked cities, according to TomTom's 2018 Traffic Index.


unian--2020-01-31--Ukraine court puts freeze on Ferrexpo unit's shareholding – media

Iron ore pellet producer Ferrexpo Plc said on Friday a Ukrainian court has a put a restriction on the sale of 50.3 % of its Swiss unit 's shareholding in Ferrexpo Poltava Mining ( FPM ) , one of the company 's mining businesses .
The Swiss unit , Ferrexpo AG Switzerland , has appealed the court order , the London-listed company said , adding that it believes the temporary restriction is related to matters involving former Chief Executive Officer Kostyantin Zhevago and the Bank Finance and Credit businesses he owned until 2015 , Reuters said .
Read alsoNBU starts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Finance and Credit Bank 's ex-owner Zhevago '' The restriction does not affect ownership of the shares but prohibits their transfer , '' Ferrexpo said in a statement on January 31 .
`` Ferrexpo 's operations remain unaffected and continue as normal .
Furthermore , Ferrexpo AG has no intention , and never has had any intention , to transfer its shareholding in FPM . ''
It says the Board of Ferrexpo believes that an appeal should be successful given the advice received that the order has no proper or reasonable basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcome of this appeal is known Ferrexpo will inform the market as appropriate , '' it said .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Zhevago in October 2019 was put on the wanted list in the case of embezzlement of Finance and Credit Bank 's funds .
UNIAN memo .
Ferrexpo is a Swiss headquartered iron ore company with assets in Ukraine .
It has been mining , processing and selling high quality iron ore pellets to the global steel industry for 40 years .
In 2019 , the Group produced 10.5 million tonnes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest exporter of pellets to the global steel industry with a market share of approximately 9 % .
Ferrexpo has a diversified customer base supplying steel mills in Austria , Germany , Japan , South Korea , Taiwan , China , Slovakia , the Czech Republic , Turkey , Vietnam and America .
Ferrexpo has a premium listing on the main market of the London Stock Exchange .

Ferrexpo's operations remain unaffected and continue as normal.
Iron ore pellet producer Ferrexpo Plc said on Friday a Ukrainian court has a put a restriction on the sale of 50.3% of its Swiss unit's shareholding in Ferrexpo Poltava Mining (FPM), one of the company's mining businesses.
The Swiss unit, Ferrexpo AG Switzerland, has appealed the court order, the London-listed company said, adding that it believes the temporary restriction is related to matters involving former Chief Executive Officer Kostyantin Zhevago and the Bank Finance and Credit businesses he owned until 2015, Reuters said.
Read alsoNBU starts forced recovery of US$64.4 mln from Finance and Credit Bank's ex-owner Zhevago
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"The restriction does not affect ownership of the shares but prohibits their transfer," Ferrexpo said in a statement on January 31. "Ferrexpo's operations remain unaffected and continue as normal. Furthermore, Ferrexpo AG has no intention, and never has had any intention, to transfer its shareholding in FPM."
It says the Board of Ferrexpo believes that an appeal should be successful given the advice received that the order has no proper or reasonable basis under Ukrainian law.
"Once the outcome of this appeal is known Ferrexpo will inform the market as appropriate," it said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Zhevago in October 2019 was put on the wanted list in the case of embezzlement of Finance and Credit Bank's funds.
UNIAN memo. Ferrexpo is a Swiss headquartered iron ore company with assets in Ukraine. It has been mining, processing and selling high quality iron ore pellets to the global steel industry for 40 years. In 2019, the Group produced 10.5 million tonnes of pellets ranking it as the 3rd largest exporter of pellets to the global steel industry with a market share of approximately 9%. Ferrexpo has a diversified customer base supplying steel mills in Austria, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Vietnam and America. Ferrexpo has a premium listing on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
Kostyantin Zhevago is its largest shareholder.


unian--2020-01-31--Zelensky thanks Pompeo for continuous support of Ukraine

The officials discussed the progress of reforms in Ukraine and trade relations between two countries .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv has thanked the United States for the continuous support of Ukraine .
`` I would like to thank the United States of America , President Trump 's Administration , you personally and the entire people of the United States for the continuous support of Ukraine – our sovereignty and territorial integrity .
It is very important to us , '' Zelensky said , according to his press service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support in countering Russian aggression – MFA The Ukrainian president also thanked the United States for helping Ukraine investigate the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in the Islamic Republic of Iran .
He underscored Ukraine 's interest in active cooperation with the United States in various spheres .
In addition , Zelensky and Pompeo discussed the development of infrastructure in Ukraine , in particular , in Donbas .
`` We have great plans concerning the roads .
Our first step is 25,000 kilometers of roads .
We invite American businessmen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The officials also discussed the progress of reforms in Ukraine and trade relations between two countries .
Pompeo , in turn , expressed support for Ukraine 's cooperation with the International Monetary Fund .

The officials discussed the progress of reforms in Ukraine and trade relations between two countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kyiv has thanked the United States for the continuous support of Ukraine.
"I would like to thank the United States of America, President Trump's Administration, you personally and the entire people of the United States for the continuous support of Ukraine – our sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is very important to us," Zelensky said, according to his press service.
Read alsoPompeo assures Ukraine of U.S. support in countering Russian aggression – MFA
Видео дня
The Ukrainian president also thanked the United States for helping Ukraine investigate the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He underscored Ukraine's interest in active cooperation with the United States in various spheres.
In addition, Zelensky and Pompeo discussed the development of infrastructure in Ukraine, in particular, in Donbas. "We have great plans concerning the roads. Our first step is 25,000 kilometers of roads. We invite American businessmen to invest in Ukrainian infrastructure," Zelensky said.
The officials also discussed the progress of reforms in Ukraine and trade relations between two countries.
Pompeo, in turn, expressed support for Ukraine's cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.


unian--2020-01-31--WHO representative says Ukraine able to cope with coronavirus

The death toll in China is now 213 people .
WHO Representative in Ukraine Jarno Habicht has said the country @ @ @ @ @ with the novel coronavirus in case of an outbreak .
According to him , the @ @ @ @ @ the spread of the virus to countries with a weak healthcare system .
`` Taking @ @ @ @ @ the Ministry of Health , I can not say Ukraine is a country with a @ @ @ @ @ he told the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda .
Habicht says the risks of the @ @ @ @ @ should be more informed .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the coronavirus was declared a @ @ @ @ @ Health Organization , as the outbreak continues to spread outside China .
The death toll @ @ @ @ @ people .

The death toll in China is now 213 people.
WHO Representative in Ukraine Jarno Habicht has said the country will be able to cope with the novel coronavirus in case of an outbreak.
Read alsoCoronavirus: China starts repatriating people to Wuhan as death toll hits 213 – media
According to him, the WHO is most concerned about the spread of the virus to countries with a weak healthcare system.
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"Taking into account our work with the Ministry of Health, I cannot say Ukraine is a country with a weak healthcare system," he told the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda.
Habicht says the risks of the disease still exist and doctors should be more informed.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the coronavirus was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China.
The death toll in China is now 213 people.


unian--2020-01-31--Pompeo assures Ukraine of U.S. support in countering Russian aggression – MFA

According to Zelenko , Prystaiko and Pompeo held a very constructive meeting .
Press Secretary of Ukraine 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MFA ) Kateryna Zelenko has said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko of support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression .
Read alsoWhite House to propose keeping Ukraine aid intact in new budget – media '' A very constructive meeting between Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Secretary [ Mike ] Pompeo in Kyiv .
The counterparts discussed : further deepening of the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership ; advancing military and economic cooperation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she wrote on Twitter on January 31 , 2020 .
`` Grateful for the clear and powerful messages restated by Washington of the USA 's unwavering support for Ukraine in : countering Russian aggression ; upholding Ukraine 's sovereignty and territorial integrity ; enhancing Ukraine 's defense capabilities and implementing critical reforms , '' Zelenko tweeted .
Pompeo , in turn , said that the U.S. welcomes Ukraine 's efforts to bring peace to Donbas .
`` Good discussion with [ Vadym ] Prystaiko.The U.S. welcomes Ukraine 's efforts to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reciprocate .
Our sanctions will remain in place until Ukraine 's territorial integrity and sovereignty is restored , '' he said on Twitter on January 31 .
Pompeo arrived in Ukraine on Thursday , January 30 .
He is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday , January 31 .
The trip is the first leg of a four-country tour through the former Soviet Union for Pompeo that will also take him to Belarus , Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan .

According to Zelenko, Prystaiko and Pompeo held a very constructive meeting.
Press Secretary of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Kateryna Zelenko has said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko of support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.
Read alsoWhite House to propose keeping Ukraine aid intact in new budget – media
"A very constructive meeting between Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko and Secretary [Mike] Pompeo in Kyiv. The counterparts discussed: further deepening of the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership; advancing military and economic cooperation; strengthening bipartisan U.S. support to Ukraine," she wrote on Twitter on January 31, 2020.
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"Grateful for the clear and powerful messages restated by Washington of the USA's unwavering support for Ukraine in: countering Russian aggression; upholding Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity; enhancing Ukraine's defense capabilities and implementing critical reforms," Zelenko tweeted.
Pompeo, in turn, said that the U.S. welcomes Ukraine's efforts to bring peace to Donbas.
"Good discussion with [Vadym] Prystaiko.The U.S. welcomes Ukraine's efforts to bring peace to the Donbas. Russia must reciprocate. Our sanctions will remain in place until Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty is restored," he said on Twitter on January 31.
Pompeo arrived in Ukraine on Thursday, January 30. He is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, January 31.
The trip is the first leg of a four-country tour through the former Soviet Union for Pompeo that will also take him to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.