The global digital operator Veon has sent a senior delegation, consisting of members of its board and management, to Kyiv and Lviv in Ukraine.
During its visit, it met with Kyivstar employees, Kyivstar’s community support projects, government officials and representatives of diplomatic missions.
The delegation’s visit followed Veon’s announcement on October 9 that it had closed the sale of its Russia operations and completed its exit from Russia. It was also prompted by concerns that US and EU investors are worried about the seizure in Ukraine of the corporate rights of Kyivstar. This decision was made in order to prevent access to the company’s assets by Russian sanctioned persons who are the owners of the shares of one of the minority shareholders of Veon (LetterOne).
Veon’s CEO Kaan Terioglu said that these sanctioned persons have “zero” influence on Veon and Kyivstar. Even at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, they were removed from any access to the company’s assets or management mechanisms. According to Terzioglu, the American investors of Veon appealed to US senators because of the seizure of Kyivstar’s corporate rights. Investors see such actions as a negative signal, given the huge support that American taxpayers provide to Ukraine in its resistance to Russian military aggression. Veon’s UK and EU investors also share this concern and have written to their governments asking for clarification.
Terzioglu added: “During the visit to Kyiv, we want to convey our concern and once again demonstrate that Veon is an asset of Ukraine, not a liability. We are here to stay in Ukraine, and we are committed to Ukraine. We want our business to be understood and reflected as it really is: an exemplary success story of international investments in Ukraine”.
He also expressed hope that Ukraine has mechanisms to protect the interests of international investors.
