In January-June 2024, Ukraine imported 211,692 thousand tons of salt, which is 45.88% less than in the same period a year earlier, when external purchases amounted to 391,186 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SRS), spending on salt purchases on foreign markets in the first half of 2025 decreased by 48.46% to $26.919 million, compared to $52.225 million in the same period of 2024.
The main suppliers of salt to Ukraine in January-June were Egypt, which accounted for 46.09% of supplies, worth $12.407 million, Turkey (17.57% and $4.730 million) and Romania (13.41% and $3.611 million)..
A year earlier, the top three salt suppliers were the same: Egypt (54.89% or $28.668 million), Turkey (17.15% or $8.956 million) and Romania (14.69% or $7.671 million).
As reported, Ukraine exported 710,040 tons of salt worth $28.32 million in pre-war 2021, while in 2022, exports fell fivefold in real terms to 142,038 tons, and revenues fell even more sharply to $3.82 million. The main buyers of Ukrainian salt in 2021 were Poland (39.1%), Hungary (27.4%), and Romania (7.3%). In 2021, Ukraine imported 142,810 tons of salt worth $12.92 million.
After the occupation by Russian troops in April 2022 of the country’s largest salt producer, Artemsol, Ukraine virtually stopped its exports and became a net importer.
The Tereblya salt deposit (Zakarpattia region) resumed salt production in August 2023. The head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration, Viktor Mykyta, said that Zakarpattia would be able to provide Ukraine with 100% of its technical and table salt.
The Dolinsky deposit (Ivano-Frankivsk region) plans to resume salt production in the near future. Work is currently underway on the Dolinsky deposit development project, and a thorough environmental impact assessment is being conducted. Specialists from the State Scientific Research and Design Institute of Basic Chemistry “Niochim” are preparing a design solution for a future salt production plant. A special permit for the extraction of rock salt (halite) in 2023 was obtained by the Kharkiv-based company “Planeta Komfort.”
In June 2025, Ukrainian citizens ranked second among foreign nationals in terms of the number of properties purchased in Turkey. This is evidenced by recent data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). According to the published information, Ukrainians purchased 111 properties, second only to Russians, who traditionally remain the main foreign investors in the Turkish housing market, with 326 transactions per month.
Iranian citizens came in third place (109), followed by Iraq (97), Germany (95), Azerbaijan (71), Kazakhstan (66), China (54), the United States (41), and Palestine (40).
Experts attribute the growing interest in Turkish real estate to the following factors:
Visa-free travel and well-developed air links between Ukraine and Turkey;
Relatively low entry threshold: housing prices in Antalya, Alanya, and Mersin remain attractive compared to the European market;
The possibility of using housing as a means of preserving capital and as an evacuation address in the context of the ongoing war.
In addition, in June, Turkey saw an influx of buyers from Ukraine due to the active tourist season and investors seeking rental income in foreign currency.
Despite an overall decline in real estate purchases by Russians compared to the peak values of 2022–2023, Russians once again became the largest foreign buyers in Turkey in June 2025. This confirms the continuing trend of relocation, including permanent or temporary residence, against the backdrop of Russia’s international isolation.
Given the current geopolitical conditions and the attractiveness of the Turkish market, Ukraine may maintain its high position in the ranking of foreign buyers of real estate in Turkey in the coming months. At the same time, interest from Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries is also expected to pick up.
Overall, Turkey remains one of the leading destinations for real estate investment among citizens of the post-Soviet space.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that US President Donald Trump has expressed his readiness to come to Turkey to work on peace with Ukraine if Putin comes, TRT Global reports.
“The Turkish president revealed details of his conversation with US leader Donald Trump, saying that he is ready to come to participate in peace talks. “If Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara for a settlement, I will also come to Istanbul or Ankara,” Erdogan quoted Trump as saying to reporters on board the plane after returning from the Netherlands.
The Turkish leader emphasized his country’s readiness to take decisive steps for a peaceful settlement: “If we need to dig a well with a needle to find a solution, we will do it.”
Erdogan spoke about his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a dinner with the King of the Netherlands on June 24, where the support of Ukraine’s allies and the outcome of the war were the main topics of discussion.
Ukraine has already exported 494,000 tons of sugar in the 2024-2025 marketing year, of which 196,600 tons were exported in January-April 2025, according to the press service of the National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine “Ukrtsukor” on Facebook.
According to the report, 90% was destined for the global market, with 10% exported to EU countries.
According to the industry association, Turkey remains the leading buyer of Ukrainian sugar, accounting for 16% of export volumes, followed by Libya (11%) and EU countries (10%).
Mass protests continue in Turkey after the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the main political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; on Friday alone, 343 demonstrators were detained in nine cities, including Ankara and Istanbul, Radio Liberty reports, citing the Turkish Ministry of Interior.
Interior Minister Ali Erlikaya accused the demonstrators of trying to “disrupt public order and provoke chaos.” In addition to the protesters, 56 other people were detained separately for allegedly inciting unrest through social media.
Imamoglu was detained in the morning of March 19. He and about 100 other people were accused of corruption crimes and the creation of a criminal group that was engaged in extortion from businesses.
Imamoglu, whom the Republican People’s Party (CHP) is preparing to nominate as a presidential candidate, called the case politically motivated. On social media, he said the investigation was a “political coup” and called on citizens to fight back.
The Turkish Ministry of Justice claims that the case has no political basis.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he is counting on Turkey, in particular, for security guarantees, taking into account its possible military contingent, as he informed his European partners.
“If we are talking about security guarantees, I told my partners: in my opinion, we have to count on Turkey, on the Turkish president. Why? Because it is very important who will be ready to give real numbers of the contingent – real people, military vessels,” Zelensky said at a press conference on Sunday.
He added: “With all due respect to everyone… we will have to think about certain logistical steps to understand who will be sitting at the negotiating table.”
