Imports of zinc and zinc products to Ukraine in 2025 decreased by 9.6% to $52.982 million.
Zinc exports, despite their small volumes, showed a sharp jump to $1.234 million (in 2024, they amounted to $563,000).
In December, imports amounted to $4.392 million, while exports amounted to $68 thousand. The trend has changed: in 2024, the country increased zinc imports by 27.5%.
Pure metallic zinc is used to recover precious metals, protect steel from corrosion, and for other purposes.
In 2025, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum ore and concentrate (bauxite) in physical terms by 23.7% compared to the previous year, to 43.5 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), during this period, bauxite imports in monetary terms increased by 15.8% to $4.754 million. It was mainly carried out from Turkey (81.84% of supplies in monetary terms), China (15.97%), and Guyana (2.19%).
Ukraine did not re-export bauxite in 2025, as in 2024 and 2023.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased its imports of bauxite in physical terms by 77.4% compared to 2023, to 35,173 thousand tons, and in monetary terms by 74%, to $4.107 million. Imports were mainly from Turkey (78.48% of supplies in monetary terms), China (19.48%), and Spain (1.9%).
In 2023, Ukraine imported 19,830 thousand tons of bauxite worth $2.360 million.
In 2022, Ukraine reduced imports of aluminum ores and concentrates (bauxite) in physical terms by 81.5% compared to the previous year, to 945,396 thousand tons. Bauxite imports in monetary terms decreased by 79.6% to $48.166 million. Imports were mainly from Guinea (58.90% of supplies in monetary terms), Brazil (27.19%), and Ghana (7.48%).
Bauxite is an aluminum ore used as a raw material for producing alumina, which is then used to produce aluminum. It is also used as a flux in ferrous metallurgy.
Bauxite is imported into Ukraine by, among others, the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant (MAP).
In 2025, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products in monetary terms by 23.2% compared to the previous year, to $173.453 million. Copper exports for the same period grew by 17.7%, to $103.848 million.
In December alone, imports amounted to $13.311 million, while exports amounted to $10.318 million.
As reported, Ukraine maintained copper imports at the previous year’s level ($140.797 million) in 2024, and in 2023, it increased them by 2.2 times compared to 2022.
Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, in the production of pipes, for creating alloys, in medicine, and in other industries.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video dedicated to global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa
From January 1, 2026, China has completely stopped purchasing electricity from Russia, including the minimum contractual volumes. The reason is related to prices: the export cost of supplies from Russia in 2026 for the first time exceeded domestic electricity tariffs in China, making imports uneconomic. In China, the price remains virtually unchanged and is estimated at about 350 yuan per 1 MWh.
The contract for electricity supplies to China was concluded in 2012 and is valid until 2037.
Earlier, Inter RAO had already recorded a reduction in electricity exports to China in 2025 amid supply constraints in Russia’s Far East region, Reuters reported.
Ukraine has significantly reduced its presence in the EU market for soft wheat supplies in the 2025/26 season: its share in EU imports fell to 22.3% from 67.3% a year earlier, according to SPIKE BROKERS.
According to the statistics, soft wheat imports to the EU fell by 52% from 4.43 million tons to 2.15 million tons, while Ukraine’s share fell from 2.98 million tons to 479,000 tons, meaning it lost its leading position among suppliers.
Against this backdrop, Canada increased its share of EU imports to 40% (858,000 tons) compared to 13% a year earlier, while Moldova and Serbia increased their presence to 17.3% and 14.3%, respectively.
SPIKE BROKERS also notes that Ukrainian wheat exports in early January were concentrated mainly in the markets of the Middle East and North Africa, while activity in the EU remains minimal.
Imports of goods to Ukraine in January-December 2025 amounted to $84.8 billion in monetary terms, while in the previous year this figure was 20% lower at $70.7 billion, according to data from the press service of the State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCS).
According to the publication, exports of goods, on the contrary, decreased from $41.6 billion in 2024 to $40.3 billion in 2025.
“Taxable imports amounted to $64.3 billion, which is 76% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxed imports in January-December 2025 amounted to $0.52/kg,” the SCS noted in its report on trade turnover in 2025.
During 2025, the top three countries from which Ukraine imported the most goods remained almost unchanged: China – $19.2 billion, Poland – $7.9 billion, and Germany – $6.6 billion.
During the year, Ukraine exported the most to Poland – $5 billion, Turkey – $2.7 billion, and Germany – $2.4 billion.
In terms of the total volume of goods imported in 2025, the largest share was accounted for by machinery, equipment and transport – $34.1 billion (with customs clearance, UAH 207.8 billion was paid to the budget, or 29% of customs revenue), chemical industry products – $12.5 billion (97.8 billion hryvnia paid to the budget, accounting for 14% of customs revenue), fuel and energy – $10.5 billion (214.8 billion hryvnia paid, or 30% of customs revenue).
As in the previous year, the top three most exported goods from Ukraine were food products – $22.5 billion, metals and metal products – $4.7 billion, and machinery, equipment and transport – $3.6 billion.
The State Customs Service added that in January-December 2025, during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties, UAH 1.53 billion was paid to the budget, which is significantly more than in 2024, when UAH 311.3 million was received by the budget.
