The volume of passenger car imports to Ukraine, including cargo-passenger vans and race cars (UKT ZED code 8703), amounted to $2.18 billion in January–June 2026, which is 14.6% less than the figure for the first half of 2025 ($2.554 billion).
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, imports of passenger cars in June, in particular, fell by 6.8% compared to June of last year, but rose by 16.9% compared to May 2026—to $468.12 million.
The top three suppliers of passenger cars to Ukraine for January–June have consistently been the United States, Germany, and Japan, while in the previous year these were the same countries, but Germany was the largest exporter, followed by the United States and Japan.
Specifically, car imports from the United States declined slightly to $417.9 million, while those from Germany fell by 26.7% to $347.6 million; imports from Japan, however, rose by 3.4% to $302.5 million.
Imports of passenger cars from other countries during this period totaled $1.11 billion—18.7% less than last year’s figure.
At the same time, over the six-month period, Ukraine exported only $1.38 million worth of such vehicles, whereas last year, total exports to the UAE, Poland, and the Czech Republic amounted to $3.49 million.
Passenger cars accounted for 4.43% of total goods imports into Ukraine in the first half of the year, compared to 6.67% during the same period last year; their share of total exports was 0.01% and 0.02%, respectively.
As previously reported, in 2025, passenger cars worth nearly $6.15 billion were imported into Ukraine, which is 40.2% more than in 2024. The top three exporters were the United States, Germany, and China. Car exports totaled $10.1 million (2.7 times less).
The significant increase in passenger car imports to Ukraine in the final months of 2025 was driven by news that VAT exemptions on electric vehicle imports would be abolished as of January 1, 2026, whereas imports had declined significantly since the beginning of the current year. However, starting in March, a slow but steady recovery of the passenger car market—including electric vehicles—began.
The State Emergency Service (SES) received 10 sets of equipment for emergency rescue operations from Germany, the SES reported on Tuesday.
“The equipment allows SES specialists to more quickly free people from under rubble and cut through metal structures and vehicles. This equipment will significantly enhance the capabilities of our units and help save many more lives,” said Volodymyr Demchuk, Deputy Head of the SES of Ukraine.
The equipment was purchased by the German government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
“This is an example of effective cooperation and a testament to the genuine partnership and friendship between Germany and Ukraine,” emphasized Katrin Buchholz, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Germany.
The equipment was provided as part of the project “Support for State and Municipal Emergency Management in Ukraine,” which is being implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and is part of the transition-period development assistance program.
This is not the first time the State Emergency Service has received assistance under this project, through which Ukrainian rescuers have been provided with modern technology and specialized equipment and have undergone training.
According to Relocation, residential real estate prices in Germany rose by an average of 1.4% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2025, according to a report by the Federal Statistical Office.
Apartment prices in the country’s seven largest cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf) rose by 0.3%, while in other major cities they rose by 2.9%. In densely populated rural areas, prices fell by 0.4%, while in sparsely populated areas, they rose by 3.6%.
Single- and two-family homes in metropolitan areas became 1.4% more expensive, and in other major cities, they rose by 1.2%. In sparsely populated rural areas, buyers paid, on average, 0.8% less than a year ago.
Residential real estate prices overall rose by 0.3% in January–March compared to the previous three months.
According to Experts.news, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has presented a package of 34 reforms designed to restore competitiveness to Europe’s largest economy following several years of weak growth, high energy costs, a slowdown in industrial development, and pressure on the export model.
According to Reuters, key measures cover pensions, taxes, the labor market, industrial policy, energy, infrastructure, housing, trade protection, and reducing bureaucracy. The government expects to pass the main elements of the package in parliament by the end of 2026.
One of the central components is tax relief for households amounting to approximately 10 billion euros per year. For a working family with two children, the benefit could exceed 600 euros thanks to increased tax deductions and a flatter tax rate for middle-income earners. This is planned to be partially financed by raising the top income tax rate from 45% to 47% for the highest earners—those earning 280,000 euros or more per year.
They also aim to make the labor market more flexible. Measures include eliminating the option to report sick by phone, requiring a doctor’s note from the first day of illness, extending the duration of fixed-term contracts to 48 months for new employees by 2030, and introducing more flexible severance pay mechanisms for high-earning employees.
The industrial sector is focused on supporting the automotive industry, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering, clean technologies, batteries, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. There are also plans to expand the Deutschlandfonds investment mechanism, accelerate the connection of industrial facilities to power grids, and cut the implementation time for grid projects by roughly half.
For Germany, this is an attempt to address several systemic problems at once. In its May forecast, the European Commission noted that after two years of recession and growth of only 0.2% in 2025, the German economy may grow by only 0.6% in 2026 and 0.9% in 2027. Among the reasons cited for this weakness were high energy costs, weak exports, competition from China, tariff risks, and a delay in the recovery of investment.
The package could give Germany new momentum, but it will not be a quick fix. According to economists’ estimates cited by Reuters, provided the reform is fully and swiftly implemented, the long-term economic growth rate could be raised from approximately 0.4% to 0.7% per year. This is an improvement, but not a return to the old model of strong industrial growth.
The main impact on the German economy could manifest through three channels: a reduction in administrative costs for businesses, an increase in domestic demand driven by tax breaks, and accelerated investment in infrastructure, energy, and technology sectors. But the weak spot remains the same—Germany depends on exports and global industrial supply chains, which are currently under pressure from geopolitics, tariffs, and competition from China.
The consequences will vary for Germany’s major trading partners. In 2025, China once again became Germany’s largest trading partner, with a trade volume of 251.8 billion euros. The United States ranked second with 240.5 billion euros, and the Netherlands ranked third with 209.1 billion euros. At the same time, the U.S. remained the main market for German exports, although shipments of automobiles, trailers, and semi-trailers to the U.S. fell by 17.8%.
For China, Germany’s reforms mean intensified competition in industry, particularly in the electric vehicle, battery, mechanical engineering, and clean tech sectors. Berlin has separately stated its intention to strengthen the EU’s anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures and to consider technology transfer requirements in strategic sectors for non-European investments. This could make German-Chinese economic relations more strained.
For the U.S., the effect is twofold. On the one hand, a stronger Germany means greater demand for American technology, energy, financial services, and industrial equipment. On the other hand, Germany will seek to preserve its own industrial base and reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers in strategic sectors, particularly in semiconductors, batteries, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
For the Netherlands and other EU countries, the reform package is likely to be positive. If German industry and consumption begin to recover, European logistics hubs, component suppliers, machine-building companies, chemical manufacturers, and countries integrated into German production chains will benefit.
The main risks of the reforms are political and time-related. Some of the measures may face resistance from labor unions, the medical community, and regional authorities, and the economic impact will not be immediate. Reuters notes that businesses and economists generally welcomed the package as necessary but emphasized that everything will depend on the speed and quality of its implementation.
Ultimately, the Merz package can be seen as an attempt to reshape the German growth model: less bureaucracy, more investment, greater labor market flexibility, and stronger protection for strategic industries. But Germany will not be able to return to its former role as Europe’s economic engine through this single reform package alone. To do so, it will have to simultaneously address the challenges of high energy costs, demographic shifts, technological lag, weak domestic demand, and dependence on foreign markets.
Ukrainian citizens ranked second among the largest groups of foreign residents in Germany as of the end of 2025, trailing only Turkish citizens.
According to data from the German Federal Statistical Office, 1.409 million Ukrainian citizens were living in the country as of the end of 2025. This is an increase from the previous year, when the figure stood at 1.334 million.
Turkish citizens remain the largest foreign group in Germany, numbering 1.520 million people. They are followed by Ukrainians, then Syrian citizens (936,3 thousand), Romanian citizens (903,8 thousand), and Polish citizens (839,7 thousand).
Thus, Ukrainians have become the second-largest foreign community in Germany. This is a direct consequence of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and the mass displacement of Ukrainians to EU countries after 2022.
At the same time, the overall demographic situation in Germany has deteriorated. According to Destatis, the country’s population in 2025 declined for the first time since 2020—to 83.5 million people. Net immigration of 235,000 people was no longer sufficient to offset natural population decline: the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by 352,000.
For Germany, Ukrainian migration remains an important demographic and labor factor. Against the backdrop of an aging population and a labor shortage, Ukrainians have already become one of the key groups of foreigners in the country, and their integration into the labor market, education system, and social welfare system will have long-term significance for the German economy.
The U.S., China, and Germany remain the world’s most valuable country brands, according to data from Brand Finance’s annual study.
The company valued the U.S. brand at nearly $34.72 trillion, down 7% from last year’s level. The assessment covers a wide range of indicators, including GDP, investment and tourism appeal, policy and trade regulations, social aspects, and more.
At the same time, the value of the PRC’s brand increased by 7% (to $22.02 trillion), narrowing the gap with the top spot.
Germany ranks third, far behind (-8%, to $4.61 trillion), and the United Kingdom ranks fourth (-5%, to $4.23 trillion).
France moved up to fifth place (-7%, to $3.63 trillion), pushing Japan (-14%, to $3.62 trillion) down to sixth place. Canada (-12%, to $2.41 trillion) moved up to seventh place from eighth last year, Italy (-4%, to $2.3 trillion) to eighth from ninth, and Spain (-4%, to $2.12 trillion) to ninth from tenth.
India fell to tenth place from seventh (-30%, to $1.94 trillion).
The total value of G7 countries’ brands fell by $4.5 trillion over the year due to geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and economic uncertainty.
“The weakening of the Western alliance’s cohesion, combined with persistent inflationary pressures and high energy prices, contributed to a deterioration in sentiment toward a number of major economic powers,” the report notes.
According to a Brand Finance study, Russia, whose brand value fell by 11%, dropped to 25th place from 23rd last year; Kazakhstan (-26%) fell to 45th from 43rd; Uzbekistan dropped to 53rd from 55th; Azerbaijan fell to 74th from 82nd; Belarus – to 86th from 88th place, Turkmenistan – to 87th from 80th place, Georgia – to 91st from 97th place, Armenia – to 105th from 103rd place, and Kyrgyzstan – to 120th from 127th place. Tajikistan remained in 136th place.
Among the top 100 countries, Egypt fell significantly in the ranking—to 51st place from 35th a year earlier; Iran—to 63rd from 50th; Kenya—to 90th from 70th; and Angola—to 94th from 76th. Meanwhile, Costa Rica jumped to 70th place from 81st, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 72nd from 87th, and Iceland to 80th from 90th.
In total, the ranking includes 192 countries. The total brand value of these countries decreased by 6% over the past year.
