This was reported by Espresso.

"You mentioned Ireland, and I'm actually Irish. And I thought it would be interesting to share my perspective and experience as an Irishman, because there are really strong parallels in our history for Ukraine. Ireland joined the EU in 1973, so we are talking about the situation 50 years ago: the country is the poorest in Europe, it is dominated by its neighbor, the UK, and there is a war in the north. Times were tough - Ireland was a poor country. Joining the EU gave us the opportunity to become part of something bigger and to modernize. And when we talked about GDP, you might be surprised to know that Ireland now has the third highest GDP per capita, $125 thousand per person," Nick Bayes emphasized.

He also noted that only by joining the EU did Ireland gain real independence from the UK and become part of a community that helps develop its welfare.

"This is a fantastic result, and I hope that Ukraine can share it. Perhaps after the UK leaves, Ukraine will join and become the 28th country in the EU. We are convinced that Ferrexpo will get additional opportunities from Ukraine's accession to the EU. 2030 has been mentioned as one of the potential accession dates and, in fact, this year is very well aligned with the dates in our industry calendar. Last year, Europe signed the Green Deal, which forces European steel producers to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and 95% by 2050. This now means a rapidly growing demand for high-quality iron ore products, such as iron ore pellets, which are produced by Ferrexpo in Ukraine. The interesting thing about this growing role of iron ore pellets for green steel is that it is driven by legislation, the EU has mandated it. This is not a market that we need to go out and look for or develop - this market needs Ukraine," said Ferrexpo plc's Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications.

He also emphasized that the EU needs Ukraine. The transition to green steel in Europe is impossible without supplies from Ukraine. We are already supplying the necessary products. I think it is about five million tons now. By 2030, the supply will grow to 35 million tons, and it will continue to grow. I firmly believe that trade is a precursor to politics, and here we have a really good example where Europe needs Ukrainian products and politics will follow. So I think Ukraine's accession to the EU is a great opportunity for us. Ferrexpo is a classic example of someone who already follows European rules. As a London-listed company, we already comply with and report on these rules. As for production, the modernization has already been done", Nick Bayes emphasized.