In January–July 2026, Ukraine exported tractors worth $5.97 million, which is approximately 71% more than during the same period last year, when exports totaled $3.49 million, according to data from the State Customs Service.
Thus, tractor exports are growing significantly faster than imports, although in absolute terms, the volume of Ukrainian exports remains relatively small.
Belgium became the main market for Ukrainian tractors in January–July, accounting for 24.8% of total exports. Based on the total volume of shipments, the value of exports to this country amounted to approximately $1.48 million.
Over the course of the year, the geography of exports changed noticeably. In January–July 2025, Romania was the largest destination, accounting for 38% of Ukrainian tractor exports.
For the full year 2025, Ukraine exported $6.6 million worth of tractors, compared to $5.4 million in 2024. The main export destinations at that time were Romania, Belgium, and Germany.
It is noteworthy that in just the first seven months of 2026, exports nearly matched the total for the entire previous year: $5.97 million compared to $6.6 million for the full year of 2025.
If the current trend continues, the final figure for 2026 could exceed last year’s level; however, the data provided by the State Customs Service does not allow for a prediction of future monthly trends or the year-end total.
At the same time, Ukraine remains a major net importer of tractors. From January through July, imports totaled $507.5 million, which is approximately 85 times the value of exports.
In January–July 2026, Ukrainian steelmakers saw their foreign exchange revenue from ferrous metal exports decline by 7.6% compared to the same period last year—to $1.678 billion from $1.816 billion.
This is according to data from the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
The share of ferrous metals in Ukraine’s total merchandise export revenue over the first seven months fell to 6.95% from 7.79% in January–July 2025, or by 0.84 percentage points.
Thus, metallurgical products continue to account for a significant portion of Ukraine’s merchandise exports, but their share is shrinking amid a decline in the sector’s foreign exchange earnings.
At the same time, imports of ferrous metals into Ukraine continued to grow. In January–July, they increased by 7.2% to $1.023 billion.
Despite the contrasting trends in exports and imports, Ukraine maintained a positive trade balance in ferrous metals of approximately $655 million over the seven-month period.
The situation with fabricated metal products deteriorated separately. Exports of these products fell by 10.8% to $507.5 million, while imports rose by 6% to $697.6 million. As a result, the foreign trade deficit in fabricated metal products stood at about $190 million.
By comparison, at the end of 2025, export revenue from ferrous metals rose by 7.85% to $3.339 billion, and their share of total merchandise exports reached 8.25%. In 2024, exports of ferrous metals increased by another 16.9%—to $3.096 billion.
Thus, after two years of growth in the metallurgical sector’s export revenues, the trend reversed in 2026: revenues are declining, while imports of ferrous metals and metal products continue to rise.
Ukraine exported $14.1 billion worth of food products in January–July 2026, according to data from the State Customs Service. Based on calculations using State Customs Service statistics, food products accounted for about 58.5% of Ukraine’s total merchandise exports, which amounted to $24.1 billion over the seven-month period.
Metals and metal products ranked second among export categories at $2.5 billion, or slightly more than 10% of total exports.
Machinery, equipment, and transportation vehicles were exported in the amount of $2.1 billion, corresponding to approximately 8.7% of total exports.
Thus, food products, metal products, and machinery collectively accounted for about 77.6% of Ukraine’s merchandise exports.
Poland remained the largest market for Ukrainian goods over the seven-month period, with $2.8 billion worth of products shipped there. Exports to Turkey totaled $2 billion, and to Germany—$1.5 billion.
Overall, Ukrainian exports in January–July 2026 grew by 3.8% compared to the same period last year—rising to $24.1 billion from $23.2 billion.
At the same time, imports grew much faster—by 26.6%, to $58.1 billion.
According to Serbian Economist, Ukraine and Serbia have agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of animal health and food safety, which could help remove veterinary and sanitary barriers to bilateral trade in agricultural products.
The relevant Memorandum of Understanding was signed on August 8 in Belgrade during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s official visit to Serbia.
The practical significance of the agreement for businesses may lie in the further harmonization of veterinary certificates, sanitary requirements, and control procedures necessary for the supply of food products and products of animal and plant origin between the two countries.
Serbia is interested in increasing imports from Ukraine of soybeans, soybean meal, flaxseed, and other agricultural products. Serbian companies, in turn, are exploring opportunities to increase shipments to the Ukrainian market of seeds, fruit tree seedlings, baby food, and other products.
The signing of the document coincided with the resumption of negotiations between Ukraine and Serbia on the creation of a free trade area.
In May 2026, the parties officially resumed negotiations on the relevant agreement after a long hiatus. Ukraine currently remains the only European country with which Serbia does not have a free trade agreement.
In 2025, trade between the two countries totaled approximately $442 million. Serbia exported about $203 million worth of goods to Ukraine, while Ukraine exported $239 million worth to Serbia.
Already in the first quarter of 2026, bilateral trade reached $152.8 million, with Serbian exports to Ukraine accelerating significantly.
The combination of the future free trade agreement and the simplification of veterinary and sanitary procedures has the potential to significantly expand the range of goods traded between Ukraine and Serbia.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Kyiv wants to restore pre-war levels of bilateral trade with Azerbaijan, which currently stands at about $600 million.
According to a correspondent for “Interfax-Ukraine,” Sibiga made this remark at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov
“We have set ourselves the goal of returning to pre-war levels in terms of trade. We have now reached about $600 million,” said the minister.
In this context, the foreign ministers agreed to work toward holding the next meeting of the Ukrainian-Azerbaijani Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Ukraine.
The parties held detailed talks on the bilateral and international agenda, Ukraine’s preparations for the winter season, and strengthening energy security in the region.
“Over the past year and this year, we have seen a new dynamic in the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, with increased contacts at all levels. We view your visit as yet another element of this new and positive dynamic,” noted the Ukrainian diplomat.
The parties paid particular attention to the development of mutually beneficial economic, investment, and humanitarian cooperation. Sibiga stated that Ukraine values investments by Azerbaijani companies and looks forward to expanding their presence and implementing new joint projects.
The diplomats also discussed regional security issues in the South Caucasus and the Middle East. Andriy Sibiga briefed his Azerbaijani counterpart on Ukraine’s peace efforts and highlighted Azerbaijan’s important role in promoting peace and ensuring regional stability.
“We appreciate Azerbaijan’s principled stance in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Ukraine has also always supported and continues to support Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is a constant in our relations,” emphasized the head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sybiga expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev, and the entire Azerbaijani people for their assistance to Ukraine from the very first days of the full-scale invasion.
“The restoration of civilian infrastructure in Irpin, humanitarian aid, equipment for energy facilities, and much more. We will always remember this,” he assured.
Ukraine’s trade deficit in goods for January–July 2026 amounted to approximately $34 billion, compared to $22.7 billion for the same period in 2025, according to calculations based on data from the State Customs Service (SCS).
Thus, the merchandise trade deficit for the year increased by approximately $11.3 billion, or nearly 50%.
Imports of goods into Ukraine over the seven-month period rose by 26.6%—to $58.1 billion from $45.9 billion a year earlier—while exports increased by only 3.8%—to $24.1 billion from $23.2 billion.
The export-to-import ratio, calculated based on GTS data, fell to approximately 41.5% from 50.5% in January–July 2025.
The bulk of imports consisted of machinery, equipment, and transportation vehicles—$25.7 billion; fuel and energy products—$8.5 billion; and chemical industry products—$8 billion. Collectively, these three groups accounted for about 73% of total merchandise imports.
Food products remained the leading export category at $14.1 billion. Metals and metal products totaled $2.5 billion in exports, while machinery, equipment, and transportation vehicles totaled $2.1 billion.
The largest suppliers of goods to Ukraine were China ($16.8 billion), Poland ($5.5 billion), and Germany ($3.8 billion).
The main markets for Ukrainian exports were Poland ($2.8 billion), Turkey ($2 billion), and Germany ($1.5 billion).
