Marichka Padalko, host of 1+1 Marathon and TSN, held an open dialogue with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at the Kyiv International Economic Forum, of which 1+1 media is the title media partner.
The speaker discussed a number of key issues for Ukraine with the Prime Minister.
In particular, these include interaction with the newly elected US president; business, the rule of law and taxes; infrastructure restoration and the use of Russian assets; and a programme to support Ukrainian citizens in the winter.
For example, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal assured that Ukraine retains bicameral support in the US Congress, and the US election results only add to optimism. But most importantly, Ukraine retains support in American society.
Also, in a conversation with Marichka Padalko, the Prime Minister thanked representatives of Ukrainian business for their resilience, creativity and patriotic stance. Denys Shmyhal highlighted the growing need to finance the defence sector, as defenders need to be paid their salaries, and provided with timely and high-quality ammunition.
The Prime Minister stressed that the Government has provided most of the funding for these purposes. In particular, by borrowing on the domestic market and restructuring the external debt, which allows Ukraine's economy to withstand the burden of Russian aggression. But part of the needs will be covered by raising the military tax rate.
In addition, Ukraine and its partners are moving towards the confiscation of frozen Russian assets worth USD 300 billion. The first step will be for Ukraine to receive a tranche of USD 50 billion from the profits from frozen assets. These funds will be used to rebuild, finance critical needs and produce our own weapons.
Answering Marichka Padalko's question about the social sector, the Prime Minister emphasised the continuation of the eRestoration programme in 2025. He also shared details of the programme to support Ukrainians in winter. The payments of UAH 1,000 per family member announced by the President and the government will be used by Ukrainians in three areas: support for the Defence Forces, utility costs, and business support. At the same time, the government will fix the amount of subsidies to households, despite potential blackouts.
