In January–May 2026, Ukraine increased its imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 20% compared to the same period last year, reaching $247.912 million.
In May, imports of aluminum and aluminum products amounted to $58.220 million.
At the same time, exports of aluminum and aluminum products in January–May of this year rose by 25.3% compared to the same period last year—to $72.393 million. In May, $18.641 million worth of aluminum was exported.
As reported, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 15.3% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching $514.098 million. Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in 2025 rose by 22.9% to $152.919 million.
Aluminum is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum are its lightness, formability, 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properties have made aluminum the primary raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries (though it has recently been replaced by composite materials, primarily carbon fiber). After construction and packaging production—aluminum cans and foil—the largest consumer of the metal is the energy sector.
For a more detailed overview of global aluminum production from 1970 to 2024, watch the video on the Experts Club YouTube channel.
In January–May 2026, Ukraine increased imports of nickel and nickel products by 15% compared to the same period last year, reaching $9.171 million.
In May, imports of nickel and nickel products totaled $2.294 million.
At the same time, exports of nickel and nickel products for January–May of this year amounted to $192,000, compared to $443,000 for the first five months of 2025. In May, nickel exports totaled $8,000.
As reported, Ukraine reduced imports of nickel and nickel products by 2.7% in 2025 compared to 2024, down to $26.011 million. Exports of nickel and nickel products totaled $1.420 million, compared to $602,000 in 2024.
Nickel is used in the production of stainless steel and for nickel plating. Nickel is also used in battery production, powder metallurgy, and chemical reagents.
In January–May of this year, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products by 9.4% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year, reaching $85.297 million.
According to customs statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine on Friday, exports of copper and copper products during the period increased by 1.3% to $39.247 million. In May, copper imports totaled $20.421 million, while exports amounted to $9.237 million.
As reported, in 2025, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products by 23.2% in monetary terms compared to the previous year, reaching $173.453 million, while exports of copper and copper products rose by 17.7% to $103.848 million.
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
Tractor imports to Ukraine in January–May 2026 totaled $360 million, which is slightly (by 1.2%) higher than the figure for the same period in 2025 ($355.9 million), according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the published data, tractor imports in May rose by nearly 9% compared to May of last year but fell by 21.6% compared to April of this year, to $65.5 million.
In January–May 2026, tractors were imported mainly from Germany (19.8% or $71.4 million), the United States (nearly 19.1% or $71.3 million), and China (18.6% or $66.6 million), whereas last year the United States was the leader ($70.1 million), followed by Germany ($61.4 million), and China in third place ($61.3 million).
According to statistics from the State Customs Service, in January–May 2026, tractors worth $3.94 million were exported, mostly to Belgium (26.16%), while last year exports totaled $2.5 million, with the majority of shipments going to Romania (43.7%).
As reported, tractor imports to Ukraine in 2025 totaled $845.7 million, exceeding the 2024 figure by 7.9%; the main suppliers were the United States ($179.7 million), Germany ($145 million), and China ($142.8 million).
Exports totaled $6.6 million, compared to $5.4 million in 2024, with the majority going to Romania, Belgium, and Germany.
Imports of electric generator sets and rotating electrical converters to Ukraine in January–May 2026 fell by 33.3% compared to the same period in 2025—to $421.7 million, according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the data, imports of this equipment in May 2026 fell by 46% compared to May 2025, but increased slightly compared to April 2026, reaching $62.4 million.
Most frequently in January–May, electric generators and converters were imported from the Czech Republic (19.9% of total imports of these products, or $83.9 million), China (19.7%, $82.9 million), and Turkey (16.5%, $69.5 million), whereas last year the top sources were the Czech Republic ($120 million), Austria ($88.6 million), and the United States ($78.83 million).
Exports of electric generators from Ukraine during this period were insignificant—$2.3 million, mainly to Latvia.
At the same time, according to data from the State Customs Service, imports of electric motors and generators increased more than 2.4-fold over the first five months of this year—to $486.6 million; specifically, $120.1 million worth were imported in May—2.4 times more than in May 2025.
As in the previous year, China remains the main supplier of this equipment (accounting for 93% of imports from January to May).
In addition, imports of electric batteries and separators to Ukraine during this period increased 3.8-fold—to $1.47 billion, with the majority coming from China ($1.31 billion, or 89.3%), as well as from the Czech Republic ($35.3 million) and Latvia ($17.4 million).
Last year, in January–May, the largest suppliers were China with a 75.9% share ($290.6 million), Taiwan with 5.8% ($22 million), and Vietnam with 4.3% ($16.5 million).
In May, imports of this equipment increased 3.5-fold compared to May 2025 and by 9.7% compared to April 2026, reaching $333 million.
Over the first five months, Ukraine exported $18.1 million worth of batteries, primarily to Poland, France, and Germany, while last year exports totaled $20.7 million, mostly to the same countries.
As reported, at the end of July 2024, Ukraine exempted the import of electric generator equipment and batteries into the country from customs duties and VAT.
According to the State Customs Service, in 2025 Ukraine increased imports of electric generators and converters by 2.3 times compared to 2024—to $1.69 billion—and batteries by 55% to $1.48 billion. At the same time, in January 2025, imports of electric generators increased eightfold compared to January 2024, and imports of batteries tripled.
BATTERIES, electric generators, IMPORTS, STATE CUSTOMS SERVICE
The volume of passenger car imports into Ukraine, including cargo-passenger vans and racing cars (HS code 8703), amounted to $1.71 billion in January–May 2026, which is 16.6% less than the figure for the same period in 2025 ($2.05 billion).
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, specifically in May, passenger car imports fell by 23.6% compared to May of last year, while compared to April 2026, they rose by 11.2% to $400.4 million.
The top three suppliers of passenger cars to Ukraine over the five-month period were 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 U.S. fell by 5.6% to $317.4 million, from Germany by nearly 30% to $272.6 million, while from Japan they rose by 7.3% to $246.9 million.
Imports of passenger cars from other countries during this period totaled $874.6 million—20.3% less than last year’s figure.
At the same time, over five months, Ukraine exported such vehicles worth only $0.99 million, whereas last year, total shipments to the UAE, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia amounted to $2.69 million.
As 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. Cars worth $10.1 million were exported (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, while imports had declined significantly since the start of the current year. However, starting in March, a slow but gradual recovery of the passenger car market began, including the market for electric vehicles.
CAR MARKET, IMPORTS, PASSENGER CARS, STATE CUSTOMS SERVICE, UKRAINE
