In its December report, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased its forecast for global wheat exports in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY) by 1.5 million tons to 218.71 million tons.
At the same time, the USDA raised its estimate of global wheat carryover stocks at the end of the season by 3.44 million tons to 274.87 million tons, indicating some easing of tensions in the global market.
With regard to Ukraine, the agency maintained its estimate of the wheat harvest at 23 million tons, but reduced its export forecast from 15 million tons to 14.5 million tons due to an increase in domestic consumption from 7.1 million tons to 7.6 million tons. This means that most of Ukraine’s wheat will be directed to the domestic market, while other supplier countries will provide the growth in global exports.
Construction, with a rate of 31.5%, made the largest contribution to Ukraine’s GDP growth in the third quarter of 2025, which, according to preliminary data, amounted to 2.1%, the State Statistics Service reported on Thursday.
According to its estimates of GDP using the production method, growth in public administration was 15.1%, in the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning – 6.7%, in wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles – 2.6%, and in education – 2.2%.
In calculating GDP using the final use (or expenditure) method, which shows where resources in the economy were directed—to consumption, investment, or public services, the main growth in GDP in the third quarter of 2025 was driven by general government expenditure (12.2%) and gross fixed capital formation (or, more simply, investment) (11.5%).
In addition, final household consumption expenditure grew by 6.7%, according to the State Statistics Service.
“In the third quarter, there were significant shifts in the structure: public finances, investment in fixed capital, and household consumption expenditure strengthened noticeably. In terms of production, the main drivers were construction, the public administration sector, energy, trade, and education. It was these sectors that shaped the positive dynamics of the quarter,” said Igor Gonchar, deputy chairman of the State Statistics Service.
The day before, the State Statistics Service reported that Ukraine’s real GDP in the third quarter of 2025 grew by 2.1% compared to the third quarter of 2024, while in the second quarter of this year the same indicator was 0.8%, and in the first quarter – 0.9%.
As reported, at the end of October, the National Bank also estimated Ukraine’s real GDP growth in the third quarter of 2025 at 2.1% compared to the same period last year, while earlier it had forecast it at 2.4%.
According to the updated forecast, the estimate of real GDP growth in the fourth quarter of this year has been revised down to 3.4% from 3.5% in July.
Overall, the National Bank has lowered its GDP growth forecast for 2025 to 1.9% from 2.1% due to energy shortages, the destruction of gas production facilities, and labor shortages, and for 2026 from 2.3% to 2%. The inflation forecast for this year has been improved from 9.7% to 9.2%, while the forecast for next year has been kept at 6.6%.
On December 18, 2025, the Hyatt Regency Kyiv will host the Ukrainian Building Awards 2025 ceremony, the largest industry event that determines the key leaders of the construction and development market in Ukraine.
The event is organized by DMNTR Media Group, a team with 25 years of experience in creating business forums and national awards that bring together developers, architects, manufacturers, investors, and government officials.
More than 1,500 guests and leading Ukrainian media outlets are expected to attend.
The main idea for 2025
“Leaders of reconstruction. Influence. Quality. Reputation.”
The awards focus on identifying companies and individuals who are setting new market standards: from architecture and development to investment, infrastructure, and design.
The Ukrainian Building Awards are an indicator of trust, reputation, and real contribution to the country’s development.
Key highlights of the program
Investment focus
New opportunities for project financing, economic drivers, and approaches to attracting international capital.
The evolution of the developer
How the role of the developer will change in 2025–2026 — from risk management to creating value for society.
Resource strategy and competitiveness
Companies share practices that allow them to scale even in times of uncertainty.
Architecture and urbanism of the future
A look at reconstruction: authenticity, context, technology, and generational synergy.
Reputation as key capital
Why 2025 has permanently changed the rules of the game in communications, PR, and market trust.
Be part of the Ukrainian Building Awards — a professional platform where the standards for 2026 are set.
This is a place where companies make a name for themselves, establish partnerships that influence the market, and gain recognition that matters to investors, customers, and the media community.
The award is not just a ceremony, but a space of status and content, where every speech and every nomination shapes the future of the industry.
Event structure
Date: December 18, 2025
Venue: Hyatt Regency Kyiv, 5 Alla Tarasova Street
Format: offline event, conference + awards ceremony
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — Guest registration and morning networking
12:00–18:00 — Conference, including:
6:00–10:00 p.m. — Ukrainian Building Awards 2025 ceremony
Awards in three categories:
Final part — festive dinner and performance by the band SKY.
Why you should attend
How to join
Registration is available on the official website: www.ubc-ua.info/uba
Organizer contacts:
DMNTR Media Group
Phone: +38 (044) 461 91 28
Email: info@dom-i.kiev.ua
Ukrainian Building Awards 2025 — a space where the reputation of the future is formed and the companies that are building a new Ukraine are determined.
Join us to be among those who shape the rules of the game in the industry.
DMNTR Media Group is a team with 25 years of experience in creating professional events for the architectural, construction, and investment audiences. Key projects include:
— Ukrainian Building Congress
— Ukraine Investment Congress
— All-Ukrainian competition “Interior of the Year”
— Ukraine Urban Awards
— Architectural and Development Award “Creator of the Year”
We also publish the leading architecture and design magazine DMNTR and publish daily insights, reports, news, and analytics on our platforms.
Follow us:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ukrainian_building_congress
Facebook: www.facebook.com/share/16RUuTVCQ1
Interfax-Ukraine is the official media partner of the event.
On December 4, Kyiv hosted the Petroleum&LPG Ukraine 2025 forum, a long-standing meeting place for operators in the Ukrainian petroleum products market. The conference brought together 280 delegates from 120 companies in the fuel sector, representatives of government agencies, and companies. The forum was organized by the A-95 Consulting Group.
One of the main topics of the conference was international cooperation. Representatives of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, Naftogaz of Ukraine, Ukrnafta, and the Polish energy company ORLEN S.A. took part in the discussion. As noted by Robert Kwiatkowski, Director of Strategy and Strategic Transformation at ORLEN S.A., Ukraine is a strategic direction for the company’s current activities and development.
“We understand that if we do not help Ukraine, it could be our biggest mistake,” said the Polish top manager.
ORLEN is currently the largest supplier of light petroleum products to Ukraine: according to the A-95 Consulting Group, in 2023-2025, gasoline supplies increased threefold, and diesel fuel supplies increased one and a half times. The company is also a major supplier of road bitumen, lubricants, and petrochemical products.
Serhiy Koretsky, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, spoke very highly of the company’s cooperation with the Polish concern.
“ORLEN has become so deeply integrated into the Ukrainian market that sooner or later, the company will likely acquire its own assets in Ukraine,” said the head of Naftogaz, who is actively developing cooperation with the Polish concern in LNG imports and other areas.
According to Deputy Minister of Energy Mykola Kolisnyk, integration into the EU is a guarantee of long-term development of the Ukrainian fuel market. He noted that the transition of the Ukrainian fuel market to EU standards requires the introduction of high environmental standards and modern approaches to the processing of petroleum product waste.
A separate session was devoted to tax discipline, attended by a large delegation of leading officials from the State Tax Service, headed by Acting Chair Lesya Karnaukh. She gave preference to public communication with forum participants, who had a unique opportunity to ask any questions. The greatest interest was in the mechanism for companies to be included in the list of “risky” ones, as well as the tax authorities’ approaches to tax payment standards.
“Without interaction with the market, which strives for fair conditions, we will not be able to work effectively. We are not a punitive body; our goal is to fairly determine tax liabilities,” Lesya Karnaukh said following the discussion.
In turn, A-95 estimated that in 2023-2025, the payment of operating taxes by the largest gas station chains would increase more than twofold, by almost UAH 10 billion.
Other topics of in-depth discussion at Petroleum&LPG Ukraine 2025 included post-war development of maritime and railway infrastructure, creation of petroleum product reserves, development of the bioethanol industry and use of alcohol-containing gasoline, electromobility, and expansion of non-fuel activities at gas stations.
“The fuel market remains the most resilient energy sector thanks to the comprehensive restructuring of the geography and logistics of supplies in 2022. Despite constant shelling and losses, companies in this market are a reliable support for consumers and the state, ensuring stable fuel supplies and paying taxes that are growing year after year,” said the event moderator, Director of the A-95 Consulting Group, Serhiy Kuyun.
The conference partners were traditionally the largest market operators: ORLEN S.A., JSC Ukrnafta, OKKO, UNIMOT S.A. (Poland), UPG, Kemexon (Switzerland), JSC Energo Trade, Western Fuel and Energy Company, AGTG (Switzerland).
The Petroleum&LPG Ukraine 2025 forum has been held annually by the A-95 Consulting Group since 2023. From 2009 to 2019, the company held the Petroleum Ukraine conference, and from 2010 to 2020, the LPG Ukraine conference.
In 2022, the annual Petroleum Ukraine forum was also launched in Warsaw. Warsaw, which is one of the largest events in Eastern Europe dedicated to the motor fuel market.
Interfax-Ukraine is an information partner.
On Monday, December 15, light wet snow is expected across much of Ukraine, with rain during the day and icy roads; no precipitation is expected in the west and southwest of the country, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center. In the western, northern, and central regions, there will be fog in some places at night and in the morning. The wind will be from the west and northwest at 5-10 m/s.
Temperatures at night will range from 2°C to -3°C, and during the day from 0°C to 5°C; in the east and northeast, temperatures at night will range from -3°C to -8°C, and during the day around 0°C.
In Kyiv on December 15, light wet snow, rain during the day; icy roads. Wind north-west, 5-10 m/s.
Temperature at night 0-2° below zero, during the day 2-4° above zero.
According to data from the Boris Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory, the highest daytime temperature in Kyiv on December 15 was 9.4°C in 1950, and the lowest nighttime temperature was -20.1°C in 1921.
On December 16, there will be no precipitation in Ukraine, only light wet snow on the left bank at night, with icy roads.
In Ukraine, there will be fog in some places at night and in the morning. The wind will be variable, 3-8 m/s. The temperature at night will be from 2°C to -3°C, and during the day 0-5°C; in the eastern regions, the temperature at night will be 0-5°C, and during the day from -2°C to 3°C.
In Kyiv, December 16 will also be dry. Winds will be variable, 3-8 m/s. Nighttime temperatures will range from 0-2°C, daytime temperatures from 4-6°C.
A sharp rise in global RAM (DRAM) prices and the possible end of Apple’s preferential contracts with key suppliers Samsung and SK Hynix in 2026 could lead to higher prices for iPhones, Macs, and other Apple devices. However, Apple itself has not yet announced any price increases, and expert estimates remain forecasts.
According to industry sources, Apple’s long-term DRAM supply agreements are nearing their end, and as early as January 2026, the company may be forced to pay Samsung and SK Hynix significantly higher prices for memory. This is reported, in particular, by Wccftech, noting that the bargaining position of memory manufacturers has strengthened amid a global shortage and a boom in demand from AI data centers.
The DRAM market is already experiencing a massive price rally. According to TrendForce, the cost of advanced memory for 2025 has increased by approximately 50%, and in the fourth quarter, additional growth of about 30% is expected, with a possible further increase of 20% in early 2026. Taken together, this could lead to a doubling of prices for high-performance memory in a relatively short period of time.
Separately, Reuters reported that Samsung raised its contract prices for 32GB DDR5 modules to $239 at the end of 2025, up from $149 in September — an increase of nearly 60% amid worsening shortages and a shift in supply toward the server and AI segments.
Analysts note that Apple is traditionally protected from short-term price spikes thanks to large long-term contracts and purchase volumes. According to Macworld, it is these agreements that have so far allowed the company to keep its internal memory costs under control, despite rising prices on the open market. However, as these contracts expire and suppliers move to shorter-term and more expensive deals, pressure on device costs will increase.
Against this backdrop, some research and industry resources predict that in 2026, smartphone and laptop manufacturers, including Apple, will be faced with a choice: either raise retail prices, reduce the amount of RAM in basic configurations, or accept lower margins. A number of analytical reviews are already warning of a possible increase in the cost of smartphones and PCs in 2026 due to a shortage of memory and an increase in its cost.
At the same time, there have been no official statements from Apple about a planned increase in product prices in connection with the situation on the DRAM market. The industry media experts surveyed emphasize that the final decision will depend on the company’s strategy: part of the cost increase may be offset by more expensive memory upgrades, part by a selective revision of prices for new models, and part by internal reserves and optimization.
