China retained first place among Ukraine’s trading partners in January–June 2026, with total trade turnover of $14.68 billion, more than twice Poland’s figure ($7.05 billion), according to a foreign trade analysis presented by Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club analytical center, in a video review of Ukraine’s foreign trade on the YouTube channel of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
The next positions in terms of bilateral trade volume were occupied by Turkey – $4.90 billion, Germany – $4.48 billion, and the United States – $3.07 billion. Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia also entered the top ten.
As Urakin noted, China’s leading position is primarily due to large-scale imports into Ukraine, which amounted to $13.90 billion over the six-month period. At the same time, exports of Ukrainian goods to China reached only $778.4 million. The negative trade balance exceeded $13.12 billion, with almost $18 in imports for every dollar of Ukrainian exports.
“Ukraine receives significantly more technologically advanced products from China – electric batteries, telecommunications equipment, optical equipment, transformers, and so on. This is precisely one of the key structural challenges of Ukraine’s foreign trade. As before, we largely export products with relatively low added value, while importing more complex industrial and technological goods,” the expert emphasized.
According to him, Ukraine mainly supplies China with agricultural products and raw materials, particularly vegetable oils and soybeans.
Poland remains the largest individual market for Ukrainian exports: over six months, goods worth $2.38 billion were supplied to the country, while imports from Poland amounted to $4.67 billion. The bilateral trade deficit reached $2.29 billion. Ukraine exports vegetable oils, metals, ore, and soybeans to Poland, while importing, in particular, energy products and fertilizers.
Exports to Turkey amounted to $1.78 billion against imports of $3.12 billion, while exports to Germany totaled $1.27 billion and imports $3.21 billion, respectively. Urakin pointed out that Ukrainian goods entering the German market include cables, furniture, and pipes alongside agricultural products. Trade with the United States also remained in deficit: imports reached $2.49 billion against exports of $586.7 million.
At the same time, Ukraine recorded a positive foreign trade balance, in particular, with Spain (+$578.1 million), Egypt (+$527.1 million), Moldova (+$467.2 million), Algeria (+$309.2 million), and the Netherlands (+$221.5 million). The expert emphasized the importance of North African and Middle Eastern countries as markets for Ukrainian products, even if they are not among the largest partners in terms of total trade turnover.
A comparison of actual trade relations with public priorities revealed differences. According to a survey conducted by Experts Club jointly with Active Group in August 2026, 69.9% of respondents named the EU and the United Kingdom as desirable trading partners for Ukraine, the United States – 11.9%, China – 8.4%, and Southeast Asian countries – 5.5%.
“Here we see an interesting gap between public perception and economic geography. China is Ukraine’s largest trading partner, but fewer than 10% of respondents identify the development of trade with it as a priority. On the other hand, almost 70% are primarily oriented toward the EU and the United Kingdom,” Urakin noted.
“Ukraine should not regard these directions as mutually exclusive. European integration is objectively becoming the foundation of the country’s long-term economic model. At the same time, Ukraine needs to preserve and expand markets for its products in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa,” the expert emphasized.
In his assessment, the key task remains increasing the share of high-value-added goods – industrial products, technologies, and services – in Ukrainian exports.
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ECONOMICS, EXPERTS CLUB, OLEKSANDR POZNII, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
