In January–May 2026, Ukraine reduced imports of zinc and zinc products by 34.2% compared to the same period last year, to $14.029 million.
In May, imports of zinc and zinc products amounted to $3.499 million.
Zinc exports for the first five months of 2026 totaled $466,000, while in January–May 2025 they were $523,000. In May, zinc exports amounted to $174,000.
As reported, in 2025 Ukraine reduced imports of zinc and zinc products by 9.6% compared to 2024—to $52.982 million. Zinc exports for the past year reached $1.234 million, compared to $563,000 a year earlier.
Pure metallic zinc is used to restore precious metals, protect steel from corrosion, and for other purposes.
In May 2026, the Export Credit Agency (ECA) supported exports by Ukrainian companies to the tune of 1.16 billion UAH.
According to the agency’s website, Ukrgasbank provided the largest volume of support in cooperation with partner banks, backing UAH 1.059 billion in exports.
The largest volume of supported exports came from enterprises in Kyiv (UAH 879.3 million) and Chernihiv (UAH 88.7 million) regions.
The main importing countries for products from Ukrainian manufacturers insured by ECA in May were the UAE (UAH 879.26 million), the Netherlands (UAH 154.19 million), Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—each with UAH 44.35 million.
In terms of sectoral structure, the largest shares were accounted for by milk processing and the production of butter and cheese, the cultivation of pome and stone fruits, the production of wallpaper, sawmilling and planing, and the production of industrial refrigeration and ventilation equipment.
ECA, EXPORTS, UAE, UKRGASBANK
In January–May 2026, Ukraine cut imports of lead and lead products by 71.9% compared to the same period last year, down to $958,000.
In May, imports of lead and lead products amounted to $199,000.
At the same time, exports of lead and lead products in January–May of this year increased by 4.9% compared to the same period last year—to $3.818 million. In May, $891,000 worth of lead was exported.
As reported, Ukraine increased imports of lead and lead products by 3.3 times in 2025, reaching $7.801 million. Exports of lead and lead products last year decreased by 17.8%, to $9.377 million.
Lead is currently used primarily in the production of lead-acid batteries for the automotive industry. In addition, lead is used in the manufacture of bullets and certain alloys.
Ukraine is rapidly increasing its exports of frozen raspberries, blackberries, and other berries: their value rose from $53.4 million in 2023 to $114.6 million in 2024 and $176.4 million in 2025, according to a study of Ukraine’s berry and nut sector presented at the forum “Development of Exports in Ukraine’s Berry and Nut Sector” in Kyiv last week.
According to Olga Gvozdeva, advisor to the director of the State Agency “Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development,” the main markets for these products are Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and France, reported a correspondent for the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
According to the study, exports of fresh berries—blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries—declined to $22.4 million in 2025 after growing from $16.8 million in 2023 to $27.9 million in 2024. The main buyers remain the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Moldova.
According to the study, exports of shelled walnuts, after increasing from $68.1 million in 2023 to $82 million in 2024, fell to $61.9 million in 2025. The largest buyers of this product were France and the Netherlands.
Exports of walnuts in shell also declined—from $8.6 million in 2024 to $5.5 million in 2025, with Iraq remaining the main market, the document states.
“After a decline in 2022, we are now gradually catching up to previous levels,” Gvozdeva noted.
The study of Ukraine’s berries and nuts sector was prepared by the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development based on data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the State Customs Service of Ukraine, and FAOSTAT.
In January–May 2026, Ukraine increased imports of tin and tin products by 89.3% compared to the same period last year, reaching $3.292 million.
In May, imports of tin and tin products amounted to $555,000.
At the same time, exports of tin and tin products in January–May 2026 rose to $593,000 from $86,000 in January–May 2025. In May, $54,000 worth of tin was exported.
As reported, in 2025, imports of tin and tin products to Ukraine rose by 36.5% compared to 2024—to $4.352 million. Exports of tin and tin products amounted to $241,000, compared to $389,000 a year earlier.
Tin is used primarily as a safe, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant coating in its pure form or in alloys with other metals. The main industrial applications of tin are in tinplate (tin-coated iron) for food packaging, in solders for electronics, in plumbing, in bearing alloys, and in coatings made of tin and its alloys. The most important tin alloy is bronze (with copper).
In January–May of this year, Ukraine’s iron ore mining companies reduced iron ore exports by 26.1% in volume terms compared to the same period last year—to 10,125,260 tons from 13,545,967 tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Friday, 2,239,167 thousand tons of IOR were exported in May, 2,163,837 thousand tons in April, 2,300,467 thousand tons in March, in February – 1,254,516 thousand tons, and in January – 2,054,539 thousand tons.
In the first five months of the year, foreign exchange earnings from mineral ore exports decreased by 28.6% to $766.946 million.
Mineral ore exports were mainly shipped to China (44.10% of shipments in monetary terms), Slovakia (18.09%), and Poland (14.73%).
In addition, Ukraine imported 224 tons of raw materials worth $62,000 from the Netherlands (38.71%), Poland (32.26%), and Italy (29.03%) in January–May 2026, whereas in January–May 2025, it imported 65,000 tons worth $46,000.
As reported, Ukraine’s mining enterprises reduced ore exports in physical terms by 8% in 2025 compared to the previous year—to 30,995,363 tons from 33,699,722 tons, foreign exchange earnings decreased by 16.6%—to $2.337765 billion from $2.803223 billion. Exports were mainly directed to China (44.98% of shipments in monetary terms), Slovakia (17.15%), and Poland (16.09%).
In addition, in 2025, Ukraine imported $95,000 worth of raw materials totaling 130 tons from the Netherlands (46.32%), Italy (36.84%), and Norway (13.68%), whereas in the previous year it imported 2,042 tons worth $414,000.
