U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he is prepared to impose 100% tariffs on any country that imposes a digital services tax on American companies.
“Many European countries are discussing the immediate implementation of a digital services tax on American companies. Some of these countries are close to putting their words into action,” the U.S. leader wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
“Please let this statement serve to make it clear that any country that imposes such a tax will immediately face 100% tariffs on any goods exported to the U.S.,” he emphasized.
The “Ukrcement” Association advocates for a measured increase in rail freight rates, which, on the one hand, will help JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” (UZ) maintain its capacity to transport cargo, and on the other hand, will not lead to the closure of operating enterprises.
“As business representatives for whom rail transport accounts for more than half of all shipments, we have no interest in a scenario where transport collapses, just as we have no interest in the collapse of any industrial sector. Therefore, we are ready to cooperate to find a realistic solution to today’s complex situation. By agreeing to the tariff increase, we want to see where the additional payments from businesses will go and understand how delivery times to consumers and the turnaround time for empty railcars will be reduced,” said Pavlo Kachur, chairman of the “Ukrcement” Association.
He emphasized that UZ deserves respect and support for its work in transporting cargo for the front lines and national defense, but the situation with the freight transportation of products manufactured in Ukraine—both for the domestic market and for export—is becoming critical and requires joint, and possibly even emergency, measures and actions at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers. “This is not about a single industry or a specific plant, but about Ukraine’s economy as a whole. Therefore, it is the duty of manufacturers and Ukrainian Railways to work together to achieve a positive outcome,” noted the head of the cement manufacturers’ association.
The expert pointed out that, according to Ukrainian Railways, freight transportation remains profitable, businesses pay market rates for transportation, and an additional increase in tariffs is needed to cover losses from passenger transportation.
He highlighted the pressing problems facing the domestic railway: a lack of traction, an exodus of skilled personnel due to low wages, and the (chronic) unprofitability of passenger (especially commuter) transportation. In particular, the situation with traction is critical. According to Ukrzaliznytsia’s estimates, the current average speed of freight car transport is 37 km per day, compared to the standard of 200 km for single-car shipments and 300 km for scheduled services. The average daily number of scheduled locomotives not assigned to formed trains reaches 50.
“The top priority for improving transportation is to secure backup traction. The market expects Ukrzaliznytsia to present a program for modernizing its locomotive fleet as soon as possible. For our part, we see the most realistic and expedient solution to this problem as opening access for the transport of products using our own traction to the nearest marshalling yards. Ukrzaliznytsia’s experience with such transport operations, successfully tested by PJSC “Ivano-Frankivskcement,” has demonstrated its effectiveness and economic benefits for both the manufacturer and Ukrzaliznytsia, and could significantly free up Ukrzaliznytsia’s locomotives for more profitable operations,” Kachur believes.
He emphasized the staffing issue, noting that low wages are causing an exodus of skilled personnel (primarily locomotive engineers, assistant engineers, loaders, and station workers). “As a result of the tariff increase, competitive wages for employees involved in the transportation system—locomotive engineers, assistant engineers, train dispatchers, and station workers—must become a priority,” says the head of “Ukrcement.”
Regarding passenger transportation, he drew attention to the negative trend of increasing volumes of unprofitable passenger service against the backdrop of declining freight volumes. “The financial pressure on operating businesses due to the cross-subsidization mechanism is exceeding reasonable limits,” Kachur stated. In his view, before raising freight rates, Ukrainian Railways should propose a model for optimizing passenger transportation.
The business community expects Ukrainian Railways to take systematic and responsible steps—such as developing programs to modernize the locomotive and railcar fleets and establishing a model for commuter transportation. As soon as possible, the procedure for admitting private traction must finally be adopted (as provided for in regulatory documents), indicators for freight delivery and the circulation of empty railcars must be approved, and the issue of decommissioning railcars must be revised (based on technical condition rather than a calendar schedule).
“We need extraordinary measures, at least for the duration of the war, which will include a measured increase in freight rates, full transparency toward businesses and the public regarding the allocation of funds received from the rate increases—in particular, raising the salaries of locomotive engineers, assistant engineers, freight handlers, and station employees to market levels,” Kachur noted.
In his opinion, given the scale of the problems, the consideration and adoption of anti-crisis measures should take place at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers.
As previously reported, on Monday, the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine published a draft order providing for a 30% indexation of rail freight tariffs effective August 1, 2026, and the standardization of tariffs for the transportation of empty railcars. Ukrzaliznytsia plans to make a separate decision regarding the next stage of freight rate indexation, which could take effect on January 1, 2027.
According to the Ministry of Development, in 2025, freight volumes decreased by 12.5% compared to the previous year, and Ukrzaliznytsia’s net loss amounted to 7.6 billion UAH. In the first four months of 2026, the loss reached 9.3 billion UAH.
CEMENT, locomotive, TARIFF, UKRCEMENT, UKRZALIZNYTSIA, качур
The Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine has published a draft order that provides for a 30% increase in rail freight rates effective August 1, 2026, and the standardization of rates for the transportation of empty railcars.
According to the explanatory note accompanying the document, the need to revise the rates stems from the deteriorating financial condition of JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia,” whose revenues are insufficient to cover current expenses. The ministry noted that the last tariff revision took place nearly four years ago, while between July 2022 and April 2026, the industrial producer price index rose by 252.1%.
According to the Ministry of Development, in 2025, freight volumes decreased by 12.5% compared to the previous year, and Ukrzaliznytsia’s net loss amounted to 7.6 billion UAH. In the first four months of 2026, the loss reached 9.3 billion UAH.
The ministry noted that without tariff indexation, the company’s projected net loss for 2026 will exceed 13 billion hryvnias, and the funding shortfall will reach over 26 billion hryvnias.
The draft order also provides for the completion of the unification of tariffs for the transportation of empty railcars. For railcars used for unloading cargo in tariff classes 1 and 2, tariffs will increase by approximately 60%, while for railcars used for cargo in tariff class 3, they will remain unchanged.
The Ministry of Development expects that the proposed changes will allow Ukrzaliznytsia to partially cover its funding shortfall in 2026 and secure additional financial resources amounting to approximately 8.6 billion UAH.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) updated the rates for the use of its own railcars for transportation on the 1,520 mm gauge track effective April 1, 2026, and increased the tariff for grain cars to 2,500 UAH/day (excluding VAT), which is 19% higher than the March rate, according to the company’s website.
According to the published rates, in the food transportation segment, the cost of using tank cars rose by 10.7%—from 1,400 UAH to 1,550 UAH per day. At the same time, the fee for using railcars for transporting flour (conditional type 972) remained unchanged in April—203 UAH per day.
Ukrzaliznytsia also revised rates for flatcars: the rate for 40-foot flatcars increased to 1,450 UAH/day (+200 UAH), while the rate for 60-foot flatcars remained unchanged at 1,100 UAH/day, while the rate for 80-foot platforms decreased to 1,550 UAH/day (-100 UAH). The rate for timber-carrying platforms increased by 100 UAH to 1,660 UAH/day.
Meanwhile, the fee for using the most common type of rolling stock—open cars—rose by 20.6% in April, to 1,750 UAH/day, compared to 1,450 UAH in March. The cost of using ore cars increased 3.2-fold, to 865 UAH/day, compared to 270 UAH in the previous month.
Rates for universal flatcars (2,400 UAH/day) and tanks for transporting liquefied gas (320 UAH/day) remained virtually unchanged, according to JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia.”
The Kryvyi Rih Mining and Metallurgical Plant PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR, Dnipropetrovsk region) will raise prices for its rebar and wire rod by $50/ton starting in March this year.
According to a press release issued by the company on Wednesday, the main reason for this move is the extremely high cost of electricity in Ukraine. Electricity prices have continued to rise rapidly in recent years, making them the highest in Europe and seriously affecting production costs.
At the same time, it is noted that in the second quarter of 2024, the average price of electricity reached about $120 per MWh (including delivery costs, excluding VAT), which forced the company to urgently appeal to the Ukrainian government for help in curbing it. Since then, prices have continued to rise, reaching around $230 in February 2026 and exceeding $370 per MWh during peak hours.
“This unprecedented increase in the cost of electricity is forcing the company to take urgent measures to ensure the economic viability of its operations,” the press release explains.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest producer of rolled steel in Ukraine. It specializes in the production of long products, in particular, rebar and wire rod. The company has a full production cycle, with production capacities designed for an annual output of over 6 million tons of steel, more than 5 million tons of rolled products, and over 5.5 million tons of pig iron.
ArcelorMittal owns Ukraine’s largest mining and metallurgical complex, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, and a number of small companies, including ArcelorMittal Beryslav.
The US will impose tariffs on chip imports from China in connection with Beijing’s “unreasonable” attempts to secure dominance in the semiconductor industry, the administration of US President Donald Trump has announced. The size of the tariffs will be announced at least 30 days before their introduction, which has been postponed until June 2027.
“China’s focus on dominating the semiconductor industry is unreasonable and burdens or restricts US trade, and therefore warrants action,” said US Trade Representative Jamison Greer in a statement.
The US authorities have been investigating Chinese chip imports for unfair trade practices throughout the year and have concluded that China has been engaging in such practices.
Beijing could use its control over the global semiconductor industry to exert economic pressure on other countries, the trade representative’s release said.
In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized the US for abusing tariffs and suppressing sectors of the Chinese economy.
Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that the American approach harms not only global supply chains, but also Americans themselves.
“If the US continues to do things its own way, China will resolutely take appropriate measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests,” the Financial Times quoted him as saying.
