Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the state intends to strengthen support for Ukrainian businesses that continue to operate under Russian strikes and are critical to the country. He announced this on Telegram after a meeting with representatives of major businesses, according to RBC-Ukraine. According to the head of state, the Cabinet of Ministers has already worked out the relevant decisions, and specific tasks for their implementation have been defined and handed over to the relevant authorities.
Meeting with owners of the largest retail chains
As noted, Zelensky met with the owners, heads, and directors of the largest food and building-materials supermarkets, hypermarkets, and marketplaces. The format of the meeting was aimed at directly discussing the needs of businesses that ensure the supply of the population and the construction sector in wartime conditions. It is precisely these companies, in the president's assessment, that are in the most vulnerable position due to regular attacks while simultaneously bearing the key load on the country's economy.
Expansion of support programs and accessible lending
"The ministers of finance and economy, together with the National Bank and the Office team, must prepare a decision on expanding support programs for business in the near future," Zelensky assured. In particular, he pointed to scaling up the accessible lending program so that companies could continue to provide Ukrainians with everything they need. Separately, the president tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with helping business resolve the relevant issues, although the details of this assistance were not disclosed in the statement.
Weekly monitoring of needs
Zelensky reported that business needs would be recorded on a weekly basis, and meetings with company representatives would be held on a regular basis. Thus, the support mechanism provides not a one-off measure, but a permanent channel of communication between the President's Office, the government, and the business community for rapid response to new challenges.
Related initiatives
In connection with this theme, it was previously reported that Zelensky expects clear work by the government and parliamentarians in supporting bills No. 15460 and No. 15112d, which provide for the abolition of the exemption on parcels worth up to 150 euros. It was also noted that the president signed a decree on the implementation of comprehensive resilience plans in the regions and directly in Kyiv, and that Ukraine is considering several options for countering Russian attacks in ports, including negotiations between allies and Moscow.
Contradictory data
It should be noted that the exact date of the president's meeting with business is not specified in the primary materials, and some of the sources found (in particular, an RFI publication) relate to a separate visit to London and do not directly confirm the announcement of business support. Thus, the key points of the statement are confirmed by several Ukrainian media outlets, however, the chronology and certain details (the specific list of assistance measures from the MFA, the lending parameters) remain undisclosed and require additional verification.
