President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes the results of an online auction for the sale of the Dnipro Hotel in Kyiv.

"Large privatization has started! The auction on the sale of the state-owned block of shares of PJSC Dnipro Hotel has just ended. The price exceeded all expectations, reaching UAH 1.111 billion. That is almost 14 times more than the starting price," he wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

Zelensky said that in October 2019 he signed an order that identified the first five facilities of the State Management of Affairs for their sale.

"Thus, now the first facility of the State Management of Affairs has already found a new private owner. Privatization is a great way to attract investment in our country. I welcome all the participants in this significant event, namely, Head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine Dmytro Sennychenko, his deputies, employees of the President's Office and the State Management of Affairs, representatives of the government and the Verkhovna Rada, as well as advisers who helped prepare the privatization. I also expressed appreciation to business representatives who took part in the auction and competed until the last," he said.

The president wished the new owner of the Dnipro Hotel that this beautiful building in the center of Kyiv would justify his investment, make a profit and become a real decoration of the Ukrainian capital and a welcome location for its guests.

Zelensky said that due to the sale of the national block of shares at an open auction through the electronic system ProZorro. Sale, Ukraine received the best price for its property.

"All these funds will be allocated to the national budget. Thus, almost 8,000 auctions have already been held and property owned by the state, local authorities and the Deposit Guarantee Fund, totaling about UAH 2.7 billion, has been sold. This is another example of how digitalization and openness benefit the state and overcome the corruption," he said.

The president expects that in the near future other facilities belonging to the State Management of Affairs will also be successfully privatized.

"I also hope for the start of the privatization of large industrial enterprises, which will overcome corruption in the public sector, reduce budget losses and become another brick in constructing successful and prosperous Ukraine," he said.