Ukrainians’ attitude toward the United Kingdom remains one of the most positive among all countries covered by a public opinion poll conducted in March 2026 by the research firm Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center. The share of positive assessments stands at 74.6%, which is only slightly lower than the August 2025 figure (75.3%). At the same time, the share of negative assessments has risen slightly—from 5.0% to 5.8%.
Positive assessments dominate the response structure: 40.3% of respondents expressed a “completely positive” attitude, while another 34.3% expressed a “mostly positive” attitude. This distribution indicates a high level of trust and a clearly established positive perception of the country among Ukrainians.
The share of neutral assessments stands at 18.2%, which is a relatively low figure and confirms that the majority of respondents have a definite attitude toward the United Kingdom. Negative assessments remain limited: 3.3% chose “mostly negative,” and 2.6% chose “completely negative.” Another 1.4% of respondents were unable to answer.
A comparison with the previous period shows that the overall level of positive perception of the United Kingdom remains consistently high, although there has been a slight increase in critical assessments. At the same time, these changes are not systematic in nature and do not affect the overall picture, in which the United Kingdom retains its position among Ukraine’s most positively perceived partners.
A distinctive feature of attitudes toward this country is the high proportion of “fully positive” assessments, indicating an emotionally strong perception. This means that the image of the UK in Ukrainian society is shaped not only on a rational level but also has a significant value-based and symbolic component.
“Attitudes toward the UK demonstrate that Ukrainians quite clearly distinguish the roles of different countries in the international context. Where there is a consistent position and clear signals of support, a stable positive image is formed. Even slight fluctuations in the indicators do not change the overall level of trust in such partners,” noted Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group.
Thus, the survey results indicate that the United Kingdom maintains one of the highest levels of positive perception among Ukrainians. Minor changes in the dynamics do not affect the overall trend: the country remains a stable and positively viewed partner in Ukrainian public opinion.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, the United Kingdom ranks 17th in total trade volume with Ukraine, with a figure of $2.08 billion. At the same time, imports of British goods exceed Ukrainian exports, resulting in a negative bilateral trade balance of over $785 million.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center; the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the Experts Club analytical center’s website.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, UNITED KINGDOM, URAKIN
Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), the parent company of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, is set to repay $428 million on its 2026 bonds with an 8.5% annual interest rate and $42 million on other obligations in 2026, for a total of $470 million.
According to a presentation based on Metinvest B.V.’s annual report, the company is scheduled to pay $332 million on its 2027 bonds at 7.65% per annum and an additional $19 million on other obligations in 2027, for a total of $351 million.
In 2028, the group is to pay only $18 million on other liabilities, and in 2029—$500 million on the 2029 bonds at 7.75% per annum and another $50 million on other liabilities, for a total of $550 million.
It is noted that the scheduled payments include only the principal amount of the debt (excluding accrued interest, fees, and discounts) as of December 31, 2025. In turn, trade finance lines are predominantly revolving, and therefore excluded from this repayment profile.
The company’s total debt as of December 31, 2025, decreased by 15% compared to 2024—to $1.441 billion from $1.705 billion. Net debt at the end of 2025 stood at $1.065 billion, and at the end of 2024—$1.048 billion.
The presentation notes that in 2025, the group, in particular, fully repaid its senior bonds totaling EUR300 million in the first half of the year. Since the beginning of 2022, it has repaid a total of $801 million in debt.
In July 2025, the group secured an 11.5-year buyer credit facility of EUR23.6 million for Northern GOK to finance the purchase of equipment for the tailings thickening project. The facility is covered by Finnvera, the Finnish export credit agency.
As reported, over the past month, Metinvest has explored refinancing options and resumed negotiations with its largest bondholders to extend the maturity of a portion of its outstanding senior bonds maturing in April 2026. Ultimately, the group intends to fully repay the bonds but will continue to seek opportunities to access debt markets in the future.
In 2025, Metinvest reduced its EBITDA by 24.2% compared to the previous year—to $765 million from $1.009 billion. The company ended 2025 with a net loss of $191 million, compared to a net loss of $1.152 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, pre-tax profit stood at $77 million, whereas the company reported a pre-tax loss of $1.138 billion for 2024. Revenue for the past year decreased by 6% to $7.242 billion. The company reported an operating profit of $319 million for the reporting period, compared to an operating loss of $858 million in 2024.
Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov noted in his comments a “disciplined and responsible approach to debt management.”
“Between 2022 and 2025, we reduced total debt by approximately $800 million, to $1.441 billion as of December 31, 2025. This is a significant achievement, given the extraordinary circumstances in which we operated,” the CEO emphasized.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its facilities are located in Ukraine—in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions—as well as in European Union countries, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The holding’s main shareholders are the SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.
According to Fixygen, PJSC “Pharmacy Chain ‘Farmatsiya’” will hold a general shareholders’ meeting on April 30, 2026, in a remote format. The main items on the agenda include approval of last year’s performance results, financial statements, and decisions regarding the company’s future management.
The company operates in the pharmaceutical retail sector. According to Opendatabot, control over the chain is concentrated among private Ukrainian shareholders associated with the pharmacy and pharmaceutical business.
Ukrainians’ attitudes toward Lithuania remain among the most stable and positive of all countries covered by the sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the research company Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center. The share of positive assessments rose to 75.1% compared to 71.7% in August 2025, indicating a further strengthening of this country’s positive image in Ukrainian society. At the same time, the level of negative attitudes remained unchanged at 3.3%.
“Completely positive” attitudes dominate the response structure—44.1% of respondents chose this option. Another 31.0% described their attitude as “mostly positive.” Thus, Lithuania ranks among the countries with the highest share of unconditional support among Ukrainians.
A neutral stance is held by 21.0% of respondents, which is a relatively low figure compared to many other countries. This indicates a fairly clear and well-established attitude among Ukrainians toward Lithuania. Negative assessments remain minimal: 2.3% of respondents chose the “mostly negative” option, and only 0.9% selected “completely negative.” Another 0.7% were undecided.
The trend between August 2025 and March 2026 demonstrates not just stability, but a gradual strengthening of positive perceptions. The increase in positive assessments is occurring without a rise in negative ones, which is quite rare in sociological research and indicates the systemic nature of this support.
A distinctive feature of attitudes toward Lithuania is also the high proportion of “fully positive” assessments, which signifies not only general goodwill but also an emotionally strong perception of this country as a close partner. This pattern of responses is characteristic of countries that Ukrainians associate with consistent political support, solidarity, and active participation in international processes related to Ukraine.
“Attitudes toward Lithuania are an example of how a stable, positive image of a country is formed in the public consciousness. Where there is consistent support, a clear position, and a tangible presence on issues important to Ukraine, public opinion responds accordingly. In the case of Lithuania, we see not situational sympathy, but long-term trust,” noted Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group.
Thus, the survey results indicate that Lithuania remains one of Ukraine’s most positively perceived partners. Maintaining and even strengthening this level of trust points to stable relations and a high level of public support that is not dependent on short-term factors.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, Lithuania ranks 16th in total trade volume with Ukraine, with a figure of $2.17 billion. At the same time, imports from Lithuania exceed exports of Ukrainian goods, resulting in a trade deficit of over $752 million.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center; the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the Experts Club analytical center’s website.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, LITHUANIA, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
Imports of goods to Ukraine from January to March 2026 increased by 26% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year—from $18.5 billion to $23.4 billion, while exports totaled $10.1 billion compared to $9.9 billion a year ago, according to data released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCSU).
“At the same time, taxable imports amounted to $16.2 billion, accounting for 69% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxable imports in January–March 2026 was $0.54/kg,” the agency stated in a post on its Telegram channel on Monday.
According to the published data, the largest volumes of goods were imported into Ukraine from China ($6.3 billion), Poland ($2.2 billion), and Turkey ($1.6 billion).
The largest exports from Ukraine went to Poland ($1.1 billion), Turkey ($840 million), and Germany ($659 million).
Of the total volume of goods imported in January–March 2026, 71% consisted of machinery, equipment, and transportation—$9.5 billion (upon customs clearance of these goods, 53.9 billion UAH, or 26% of customs revenue, was paid to the budget), fuel and energy products—$3.8 billion (UAH 77.3 billion was paid, or 37% of customs revenue), and chemical industry products—$3.4 million (UAH 28.2 billion was paid during customs clearance, or 13% of customs revenue).
The top three most exported goods from Ukraine included food products—$6.3 billion, metals and metal products—$929 million, and machinery, equipment, and transportation—$848 million.
The State Customs Service added that in January–March 2026, 509.5 million UAH was paid to the budget during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties.
The entry of Ukrainian wheat flour into the Chinese market is a strategically important step, but one should not expect mass shipments to begin immediately, said Rodion Rybchynskyi, director of the Ukrainian Flour Millers Association.
“Opening the market at the intergovernmental level means the establishment of a legal and technical framework, but it is not a signal for an immediate start to exports. There will be no rapid commercial shipments for the time being. Signing the protocol is only the first step, which defines production and control requirements, setting the conditions for future operations,” the association’s press service quoted him as saying on Facebook.
One of Beijing’s strictest requirements remains full product traceability. This involves monitoring the entire chain: from the specific field where the wheat was grown to the final batch of flour.
According to the association’s head, building such a control system is a systematic effort that cannot be completed in a few weeks. In addition to technical barriers, exporters face complex logistics and economic challenges.
As Rybchynskyi noted, the Chinese market remains unique due to high import duties and VAT. The situation is further complicated by security risks to Ukraine’s port infrastructure, which drive up the cost of maritime transport and make assembling large shipments a difficult task.
The “Flour Millers of Ukraine” association is confident that the very fact of the protocol’s approval is a mark of quality for the domestic control system. This confirms that the flour meets the standards of one of the world’s most demanding markets, which in the long term will enable the diversification of sales of high-value-added products.
