Ukrainian cheese makers continue to lose market share due to competition from imported products from the EU, despite the trend towards a reduction in external purchases, according to the industry analytical agency Infagro.
According to the report, producers are asking the state for support, in particular through the expansion of cashback programs for domestic cheeses and a review of the tax burden. However, experts assess the chances of significant changes in tax policy or the introduction of import barriers as low.
Analysts consider a more effective step to be the regulation of relations with retail chains to reduce significant retail markups that affect the final cost of products.
According to the agency, cheese imports are currently showing a downward trend in both monthly and annual terms, which is associated with rising prices in Europe and currency fluctuations. It is expected that the volume of foreign purchases will continue to decline.
“Despite the difficult market conditions, Ukrainian producers are in no hurry to lower their base prices. They are probably afraid that retail chains will not respond adequately to lower prices or that it will be difficult to return to previous price levels in the future. At the same time, buyers can already count on significant discounts when purchasing large quantities of products,” Infagro concluded.
In January this year, Ukraine reduced imports of coke and semi-coke in physical terms by 25.7% compared to the same period last year, to 68,696 from 92,501 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, 57,848 tons of coke were imported in December 2025.
Coke imports in monetary terms fell by 21% in January 2026 to $23.620 million. Coke was imported from Poland (100% of supplies in monetary terms).
The country did not export coke last month.
As reported, in 2025, Ukraine increased imports of coke and semi-coke in physical terms by 5.9% compared to the previous year, to 700,650 thousand tons, and increased revenues by 1.4%, to $238.656 million. Coke was mainly imported from Poland (93.37% of supplies in monetary terms), Indonesia (4.01%), and the Czech Republic (2.59%).
In 2025, Ukraine exported three tons of coke worth $2,000 to Albania.
It was also reported that in January 2025, Metinvest suspended the operation of the Pokrovsk Coal Group due to changes in the situation on the front line, electricity shortages, and the deterioration of the security situation.
In 2024, Ukraine increased its imports of coke and semi-coke in physical terms by 2.01 times compared to 2023, to 661,487 thousand tons, importing it mainly from Poland (84.76% of supplies in monetary terms), Colombia (7.74%), and Hungary (2.69%). In monetary terms, imports increased by 81.9% to $235.475 million.
In 2024, the country exported 1,601 thousand tons of 84.76% coke worth $368 thousand to Moldova (99.18%) and Latvia (0.82%), while in January, March, October, and November 2024, there were no exports, whereas in 2023, they amounted to 3,383 tons worth $787 thousand.
In January 2026, imports of tin and tin products fell by 27% to $168,000 (in December – $290,000).
Exports of tin and tin products in January 2026 amounted to $226,000 (in December — $89,000), while in January 2025 there were no exports.
In 2025, imports of tin and tin products increased by 36.5% to $4.352 million.
Exports of tin and tin products amounted to $241,000, compared to $389,000 in the 12 months of 2024.
In 2024, imports of tin and tin products increased by 16.9% to $3.188 million.
Exports of tin and tin products amounted to $389 thousand, compared to $159 thousand in 2023.
In 2023, Ukraine imported less tin and tin products — $2.728 million (-23%).
Exports of tin and tin products amounted to $159,000, compared to $424,000 in 2022.
Tin is mainly used 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 white tinplate (tinned iron) for the manufacture of food containers, in solders for electronics, in domestic piping, in bearing alloys, and in coatings made of tin and its alloys. The most important tin alloy is bronze (with copper).
Imports of transformers, inductors, and chokes to Ukraine in January 2026 decreased by almost 23% compared to the same month in 2025, to $98.6 million, according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the published data, this is also 17.7% less than in December 2025.
China remains the largest supplier of these products to Ukraine. Last month, $86.5 million worth of these products were imported from China (87.7% of total imports of these goods), while a year earlier, $116.1 million worth of transformers and chokes were imported from this country (90.8%).
In addition, transformers were imported from Japan ($5.3 million) and Turkey ($1.2 million), while in 2025, imports from Turkey amounted to $4.5 million, and the United States ($1.75 million) rounded out the top three.
According to the State Customs Service, in January 2026, Ukraine exported transformers, inductors, and chokes worth $3.3 million (in January 2025 – $2.05 million), mainly to Poland, Germany, and Hungary.
As reported with reference to the State Customs Service, imports of transformers, inductors, and chokes to Ukraine in 2025 increased by 88% compared to 2024, to $1.12 billion, with imports from China increasing 2.3 times, to $957.3 million.
Since the beginning of last year, transformer imports have significantly exceeded those of the previous year. In particular, in January, imports increased sixfold, but the growth rate gradually slowed down.
The volume of passenger car imports to Ukraine, including cargo-passenger vans and racing cars (UKT ZED code 8703), amounted to almost $274 million in January 2026, which is 18% less than in January 2025 (almost $334 million).
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, passenger car imports fell 2.4 times compared to December 2025.
The top three suppliers of passenger cars to Ukraine in January were Japan, the US, and Germany, while in the previous year, these were the same countries, but the largest exporter was Germany, followed by the US and Japan. In particular, in January 2026, car deliveries from Japan increased by 38% to $57.6 million, and their share in the structure of car imports grew to 21% from 12.5%.
Cars worth $54.5 million (12.8% less) were imported from the US to Ukraine, and $45 million (39.6% less) from Germany.
Imports of passenger cars from other countries in January amounted to $116.8 million, compared to $155.1 million in January last year.
At the same time, Ukraine exported almost no such vehicles last month, while in January 2025, deliveries totaling $1.09 million were made to the UAE (90.5%), Germany, and Moldova.
According to the State Customs Service, passenger cars accounted for 4.1% of the total structure of imports to Ukraine in January this year, compared to 6.02% in January 2025.
As reported, in 2025, passenger cars worth almost $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. Cars worth $10.1 million were exported (2.7 times less).
The significant increase in passenger car imports to Ukraine in the last months of 2025 was due to information about the cancellation of VAT exemptions on the import of electric cars from January 1, 2026.
In January 2026, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 7.5% to $39.414 million (in December — $43.298 million).
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in January 2026 increased by 24.4% compared to the same period last year, to $11.730 million (in December, $11.805 million).
In 2025, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 15.3% to $514.098 million.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in 2025 increased by 22.9% compared to 2024, reaching $152.919 million.
In 2024, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 21.7%, reaching $446.006 million.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in 2024 increased by 27.4% compared to the previous year, reaching $124.408 million.
At the same time, in 2023, imports of aluminum and aluminum products increased by 7.7%, reaching $366.463 million.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in 2023 increased by 0.7% compared to 2022, reaching $97.616 million.
Aluminum is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum are its lightness, malleability, corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, and the non-toxicity of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in the production of cookware, aluminum foil in the food industry, and for packaging. The first three properties have made aluminum the main raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries (recently, it has been replaced by composite materials, primarily carbon fiber). After construction and packaging production—aluminum cans and foil—the largest consumer of metal is the energy industry.
For a more detailed overview of global aluminum production from 1970 to 2024, see the video on the Experts Club YouTube channel.
