Metinvest Group’s Zaporizhstal was visited by representatives of Ukrainian diplomatic missions from more than 50 countries around the world: in particular, the ambassadors of Ukraine to Poland, Spain, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Sweden, Moldova, Bulgaria, Finland and other countries. The key production monitoring center is the main control room, a powerful hot rolling shop, an ecological pickling line of the cold rolling shop – the diplomats saw with their own eyes how the enterprise worked and discussed current issues and prospects for foreign economic cooperation with the plant’s top management.
“The metallurgical complex is extremely important for Zaporizhzhia – it generates up to 15% of the city budget revenues. And Zaporizhstal is among the three largest metallurgical enterprises in Ukraine, producing every third ton of Ukrainian steel. These figures show real support for the economy of the region and the country, our defenders and the support of the future reconstruction of Ukraine. Diplomats, like Zaporizhstal itself, represent Ukraine in the world – so we have many common topics for discussion,” said Acting General Director of Zaporizhstal, Hero of Ukraine Taras Shevchenko.
Among the key issues of the meeting with the ambassadors is the blocking of foreign banks’ transactions under foreign economic contracts of Zaporizhstal. This is a typical problem for businesses registered in the territory of partially occupied regions – Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, when European financial institutions refer to the lack of a reliable source of data on the status of such territories of Ukraine. Such de-risking significantly complicates the work of Ukrainian businesses operating in frontline regions and concentrating their efforts on supporting the Ukrainian economy.
No less important is the urgent need to postpone the introduction of the CBAM (cross-border carbon duty on goods imported into the EU). Today, Ukraine has legitimate grounds for postponing this norm, since the country is at war and defending its territories from the aggressive actions of the aggressor. If the CBAM mechanism works within the current timeframe – in six months, Ukrainian industry will lose competitiveness – and, accordingly, European markets. According to the Employers’ Federation, as a result, the national economy will lose $4.7 billion in exports and $2.7 billion in investments. Also, according to estimates by analytical centers, this threatens to result in the loss of 6.4% of GDP and over 116 thousand jobs until 2030.
Ukrainian diplomats, accompanied by Zaporizhstal’s top managers – Production Director Vartan Tarasko, Engineering Director Mykola Petryakov and Technology and Quality Director Volodymyr Naboka – visited production sites and got acquainted with the work of the metallurgical heart of Zaporizhzhia.
“I want to thank those people who work here, in Zaporizhzhia, at Zaporizhstal. These are today’s heroes who, being in terrible conditions every day, actually on the front line, do their job, continue to fulfill their duties. Honor and respect to these people. Both the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ambassadors who visited this enterprise will do everything possible to support this production,” noted the Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gennady Nadolenko.
The diplomats, together with representatives of Zaporizhstal, discussed key priorities in working with partner countries.
“We are sincerely grateful to all the metallurgists who, despite the partial occupation of the Zaporizhzhia region, continue to work and continue production. Of course, for our part, as diplomats, we work on the diplomatic front to protect Ukraine, to achieve peace, and, undoubtedly, to create all the necessary and important conditions for all Ukrainian enterprises, and Zaporizhstal in particular, to continue their work and continue their trade relations. This is extremely important,” says the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland Larysa Gerasko.
As part of their visit to Zaporizhia, Ukrainian diplomats also honored the memory of the fallen defenders at the “Tree of Memory” memorial complex, visited strategic industrial and energy facilities of Zaporizhzhia, construction sites where work was underway to restore buildings damaged by Russian shelling, Khortytsia Island and other important locations in the frontline city and region. (Zaporizhstal)