China remains the undisputed leader among Ukraine’s trading partners in terms of import volume. In the first six months of 2025, Ukraine imported Chinese goods worth US$8.15 billion. This is more than twice the figures for Poland ($3.58 billion) and Germany ($3.18 billion), which ranked second and third, respectively.
High import volumes were also recorded from Turkey ($2.53 billion) and the United States ($2.31 billion). Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and France round out the top ten key suppliers with volumes ranging from $1.2 billion to $979 million.
“The formation of such an import structure indicates Ukraine’s excessive dependence on Chinese goods, especially in the electronics, technology, and industrial products segments. Such an imbalance poses risks to economic stability, as any political or logistical restrictions will immediately affect the domestic market,” emphasized Maksim Urakin, founder of Experts Club and economist.
At the same time, experts point to the diversification of supplies from European Union countries. Poland, Germany, Italy, and France together account for more than $8.5 billion in imports, forming a significant segment of the domestic consumer and industrial market.
Economists predict that, provided the hryvnia exchange rate remains stable and import flows continue at current levels, the trade deficit with China will continue to grow. This will require an adjustment of state trade policy towards stimulating domestic production and searching for alternative markets.
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According to the results of the first half of 2025, Poland remains Ukraine’s main trading partner in terms of export volumes. According to research by Active Group and Experts Club, exports to Poland amounted to US$2.45 billion.
Turkey ranks second with USD 1.71 billion, and Italy ranks third with USD 1.17 billion. Other major partners include: Germany ($1.09 billion), Spain ($976 million), the Netherlands ($919 million), China ($847 million), Egypt ($776 million), Romania ($679 million), and Hungary ($652 million).
“The structure of Ukraine’s exports shows a clear focus on European Union countries. Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands together account for more than half of total exports. This indicates Ukraine’s strategic integration into the European economic space,” emphasized Maksim Urakin, founder of Experts Club and economist.
He also noted that Turkey remains a critically important partner for Ukrainian agricultural and metallurgical exports, while China and Egypt are key markets for agricultural products, particularly grains.
“The presence of trading partners such as Egypt and China diversifies Ukrainian exports,” Urakin added.
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Ukrainians ranked fourth among foreign buyers of real estate in Turkey in August 2025, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). In the last month of summer, foreigners purchased 1,810 residential properties in Turkey, which is 19.8% less than in August 2024 (2,257 properties). The share of sales to foreigners amounted to 1.3% of the total volume of transactions.
Leaders in terms of the number of transactions in August:
Russians — 283 properties;
Iranians — 155;
Germans — 118;
Ukrainians — 118;
Iraqis — 118;
Azerbaijanis — 77;
Kazakhs — 68.
The most popular regions among foreign buyers were Istanbul (671 properties), Antalya (576), and Mersin (123).
The report notes that Russians remain the leaders, but their activity is declining: in August, they bought 10.2% fewer properties than in the previous month (315 in July). Compared to August 2024 (381 transactions), the decline was 25.7%.
Turkey remains one of the most positively perceived countries in the region for Ukrainians, driven by both political and economic factors. This is evidenced by the results of an all-Ukrainian survey conducted by Active Group in cooperation with the Experts Club information and analytical center in August 2025.
According to the survey, 52.3% of Ukrainian citizens have a positive attitude towards Turkey (43.3% – mostly positive, 9.0% – completely positive). Only 8.0% of respondents expressed a negative attitude (7.3% – mostly negative, 0.7% – completely negative). Another 38.3% of Ukrainians are neutral, and 1.7% admitted that they do not know enough about this country.
“For Ukraine, Turkey is not just a neighbor across the Black Sea, but a strategic partner with whom we have established close trade and economic ties. In the first half of 2025, the volume of bilateral trade exceeded $4.66 billion, of which exports from Ukraine amounted to more than $2.58 billion and imports from Turkey amounted to about $2.08 billion. The positive balance of more than $500 million shows that these relations are beneficial for the Ukrainian economy,” said Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club.
In his turn, Oleksandr Poznyi, co-founder of Active Group, noted that the high level of positive assessments is explained not only by economic factors.
“Turkey is actively supporting Ukraine, which cannot be ignored by society. At the same time, the tourist destination, cultural contacts, and historical proximity through the Black Sea region create an additional level of sympathy among Ukrainians. This allows Turkey to occupy a consistently high position among the countries friendly to Ukraine,” he added.
The survey was part of a broader study of international sympathies and antipathies of Ukrainians in the current geopolitical context.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced at an emergency parliamentary session that Turkey was severing all economic and trade ties with Israel. He also confirmed that Turkish airspace would be closed to government and arms flights from Israel and that Israeli ships would be banned from entering Turkish ports. Turkish ships will also no longer be able to enter Israeli ports.
Fidan stressed that the decision itself is already being partially implemented: Turkish port authorities have begun to require ships to confirm that they are not affiliated with Israel and are not transporting weapons.
Earlier, in May 2024, Ankara suspended direct trade relations with Tel Aviv in response to its actions in Gaza.
In 2023, trade between the countries reached $7 billion. Turkey accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza, which Israel denies. Ankara has also begun preparations for humanitarian flights to deliver aid to Palestine. Fidan made this announcement, emphasizing that the president’s approval has already been obtained and that they are now waiting for permission from Jordan.
Turkey is making a decisive geopolitical shift, completely severing economic and logistical ties with Israel. The actions cover the air, sea, and trade sectors and deepen the rift in relations between the countries, highlighting the growing tensions throughout the region.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced Tuesday that the North Atlantic Alliance summit in 2026 will be held July 7-8 in the Turkish capital Ankara.
“I want to thank Turkey for organizing this important meeting. Turkey has been a loyal NATO ally for more than 70 years, making an invaluable contribution to our common security,” Rutte was quoted as saying by the organization’s headquarters.
“At our next summit, leaders will continue to work to make NATO a stronger, fairer and more effective alliance, ready to meet the critical challenges to our security,” the alliance secretary general said.
Turkey is hosting the NATO summit for the second time after Istanbul in 2004, Brussels recalled.
