In February 2025, Ukraine imported 963 tons of pork, which is three times more than in January of this year, according to the Ukrainian Pig Association (UPA).
“The revival of import activity took place against the backdrop of an unconventional increase in purchase prices for the season. Instead, the average price of a kilogram of imported meat raw materials was lower than the minimum price level of last year, which was recorded in January – $1.89 per 1 kg and $1.92 per 1 kg at the end of winter,” analysts said.
According to their information, the products imported to Ukraine do not compete with Ukrainian pork, so imports still do not affect prices.
“Since the domestic supply of pork this year is less than the previous year, during the period of increased demand for meat in spring and summer, imports may increase, and the range of such products will be more diverse. For example, if prices in European markets, where we import the lion’s share of pork, decline while prices in Ukraine remain high, it will be economically justified to import cheaper raw materials. In this case, the pressure on the domestic market and its pricing from imports will increase, but we are not seeing this yet,” the industry association said.
Although February imports are the largest in the last 14 months, according to representatives of the meat industry, its presence on the market is still almost imperceptible, experts say.
In January and February 2025, pork exports remained at least 292 tons per month, so the total for the first two months amounted to 587.4 tons, or $1.6 million in monetary terms.
At the same time, the geography of foreign trade in Ukrainian pork remains limited. The main buyer countries for Ukrainian pork are Hong Kong, where 30% of external shipments were sent, the UAE – 22%, Malaysia and Georgia – 13% and 10%, respectively. The remaining Ukrainian pork was exported in small volumes to Bahrain, Liberia, and South Korea.
President of the United States Donald Trump has promised that on Monday, March 17, there will be news about the ceasefire talks with Ukraine and Russia. He said this in an interview with journalist Sheryl Attkisson, answering a question about his communication with Putin.
“We are dealing with him, and I think it’s a reasonable thing to do. The situation is very complicated, you know, it’s a bloody, terrible war. I think everything is going well. You know, we have a ceasefire agreement with the Ukrainians. And we are trying to get it with Russia. And I think that so far it’s gone well. We’ll know a little bit more on Monday. And I hope it goes well,” Trump said.
German Chancellor Jens Plötner’s security adviser, Jens Plötner, left unannounced for Washington on Friday for talks.
Together with his British counterpart Jonathan Powell and French President Emmanuel Bonn’s security adviser, they will meet with Mike Waltz, the US National Security Adviser, at the White House on Friday, Die Welt reports, citing diplomatic sources.
“The diplomatic lightning trip, which was organized at short notice, comes at a critical moment in the negotiations on a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the newspaper reports.
Sweden will allocate $137.7 million for the restoration and development of Ukraine, as well as for its urgent humanitarian needs, Swedish Minister for International Development Benjamin Dusa said on Thursday.
According to him, this is the largest civilian aid program in Sweden’s history: it includes funds for infrastructure restoration, demining and training of medical workers.
Dusa added that support for Ukraine is, in particular, a matter of Swedish security.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov held a bilateral meeting on Thursday, during which they announced a 28-package military aid package for Ukraine worth EUR 200 million, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries, the press service of the Finnish Ministry of Defense reports.
“Three years of war against Russia have made the Ukrainian armed forces one of the strongest in Europe. At the same time, the country has gained extensive experience in defending itself against Russia. Therefore, it is obvious that when developing our own defense, we must listen carefully to the lessons of Ukraine and rely on their experience,” Häkkänen said.
It is noted that the purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding between Finland and Ukraine is to deepen defense cooperation, and the areas of closer cooperation include defense materials, information exchange, research and innovation, ammunition production, and defense-related projects in Finland and Ukraine.
In addition, at the meeting, Finland announced another 28th arms aid package to Ukraine, worth about EUR 200 million, which is still pending approval by the Finnish government and president.
“As before, the content of the aid package is not disclosed in detail. However, we can say that this time it includes, among other things, artillery ammunition, which is in great demand. It is a huge achievement that there is broad political support and national unity in our country to help Ukraine. It is also important that we have been able to combine support for Ukraine with strengthening domestic supply security through the industrial support program,” Heikkanen said.
It is also reported that in January, Finland decided on the 27th aid package worth almost EUR 200 million. In late February, Finland announced an industrial program worth EUR 660 million to order new defense equipment from the Finnish defense industry to support Ukraine.
With the implementation of the latest decisions, the total value of Finland’s material assistance will increase to EUR 3.3 billion.
On March 11, farms in the Chernivtsi region began planting early potatoes to be grown under agrofibre, the press service of the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration reported on Facebook.
“Thanks to favorable weather conditions, farms in the Vyzhnytsia region are planting potatoes of the ultra-early Riviera variety, though under agrofibre,” the post reads.
According to the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration, the region’s annual gross production of potatoes is more than 650 thousand tons, and vegetable crops – more than 250 thousand tons. The main producers of vegetables and potatoes in the Chernivtsi region are private households, which account for 99.7% of the total regional crops.
The area of these crops in 2025 will remain at the level of last year, namely 35.9 thousand hectares for potatoes and 14.6 thousand hectares for vegetables and melons.
“Sowing of vegetables and potatoes in the open field in the region will begin in late March and early April,” the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration said.
