Data extracted in May 2025
Planned article update: August 2025
Highlights
This article shows how the trade between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine was disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More general information on trade with Ukraine is available in 
this excel file. This article is part of an online publication providing recent statistics on international trade in goods, covering information on the EU's main partners, main goods traded, specific characteristics of trade as well as background information.
Latest developments
In the first quarter of 2025 compared with the previous quarter, EU imports from Ukraine decreased by 2.6% while EU exports to Ukraine increased by 0.8% (Figure 1). Compared with the same quarter of the previous year imports decreased by 2.5% while exports increased by 17.9%. The EU trade surplus with Ukraine peaked in the first quarter of 2025 at €5.8 billion.
Ukraine's share in extra-EU imports dropped 0.1 percentage point (pp) between the first quarters of 2021 and 2025 (Figure 2). By contrast, the share for Ukraine in extra-EU exports has been steadily increasing from 1.2% in the first quarter of 2021 to 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2024 but dropped dropped 0.1 pp in first quarter of 2025.
Since the first quarter of 2022, trade data shows that the EU has recorded deficits in food, drinks and tobacco, as well as in raw materials. These deficits likely reflect increased imports of these products, possibly driven by the EU's Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) for Ukraine, which suspended tariffs and quotas. At the same time, to support Ukraine’s domestic production, which has been severely affected by the war, the EU increased its exports of machinery, vehicles, and other manufactured goods. These exports played a crucial role in sustaining Ukraine’s infrastructure and industrial capacity. As a result of this trade dynamic, the overall EU trade balance increased progressively, reaching almost €6 billion in surplus in the first quarter of 2025.
Source: Eurostat dataset (ext_st_eu27_2020sitc)
Key product groups imported by the EU from Ukraine
This section focuses on 6 products that were selected because of their share in total extra-EU imports or their absolute value. Figure 4 illustrates the share of these products in the first quarters of 2021 and 2025. The comparison shows that Ukraine’s share of EU imports increased for sunflower oil, maize, soybean oil, wood and rape or colza seeds, while the share of iron and steel declined. The increase of share for sunflower oil, maize, soybean oil, wood and rape or colza seeds could be driven by the measures put in place for supporting Ukraine, in particolar in the area of agricultural goods.
EU imports of soya bean oil
In 2024 compared to 2021, Ukraine's share in the EU imports of soya bean oil increased from 36% to 45% (Figure 5). In both these two periods, Argentina was the second largest supplier.
EU imports of sunflower oil
In 2024 compared to 2021, Ukraine's share in the EU imports of sunflower oil increased from 87% to 94% (Figure 6). In the same period the shares of Serbia and Moldova decreaesed by 2 pp and 3 pp respectively.
EU imports of wood
In 2024 compared to 2021, Ukraine's share in the EU imports of wood increased from 10% to 12% (Figure 7). This made it the second largest supplier of wood to the EU behind China (25%).
EU imports of iron and steel
The key trade partners for this good changed significantly between 2021 and 2024, reflecting broader geopolitical and economic realignments. In 2021, Ukraine was the second-largest partner (11%), following Russia, which accounted for 16%. Türkiye ranked third with 10%. By 2024, Ukraine’s share had dropped to 5%, while Russia’s share also declined sharply to 7%, likely due to the consequences of the ongoing war and trade reorientations. In contrast, India emerged as the top partner in 2024, rising to 10% from fourth place in 2021. South Korea also saw a notable increase, moving from 6% in 2021 to 9% in 2024, becoming the second-largest partner. China, which previously held a smaller share of 5%, rose to 9%, equaling Türkiye’s position.
EU imports of maize
In 2024 compared to 2021, Ukraine's share in the EU imports of increased from 51% to 67% (Figure 9). In this period the United States replaced Brazil as the second largest partner for maize imports. In May 2024, the renewed ATMs included an emergency brake mechanism applied to maize and a few other products. This mechanism is automatically triggered if import volumes exceed the average yearly imports recorded between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2023. The effects of this measure should become visible in 2025.
EU imports of rape/colza seeds
In 2024 compared to 2021, Ukraine's share in the EU imports of rape or colza seeds increased from 39% to 56% (Figure 10). In both these periods Australia was the second largest partner for imports of rape or colza seeds.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409
Main product groups in EU exports to Ukraine
In absolute terms in value, the largest product groups exported to Ukraine were fuels, electrical machinery, vehicles, machinery and pharmaceutical products - see Table 1. Between the first quarters of 2021 and 2025, exports of these 5 products increased. The largest increase was for fuels (+€1.2 billion). The volume of these exports is shown in Table 2.
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409
Source: Eurostat Comext DS-045409
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
EU data is taken from Eurostat's COMEXT database. COMEXT is the reference database for international trade in goods. It provides access not only to both recent and historical data from the EU Member States but also to statistics of a significant number of non-EU countries. International trade aggregated and detailed statistics disseminated via the Eurostat website are compiled from COMEXT data according to a monthly process.
Data are collected by the competent national authorities of the EU Member States and compiled according to a harmonised methodology established by EU regulations before transmission to Eurostat. For extra-EU trade, the statistical information is mainly provided by the traders on the basis of customs declarations.
EU data are compiled according to EU guidelines and may, therefore, differ from national data published by the Member States. Statistics on extra-EU trade are calculated as the sum of trade of each of the 27 EU Member States with countries outside the EU. In other words, the EU is considered as a single trading entity and trade flows are measured into and out of the area, but not within it.
Methodology
According to EU concepts and definitions, extra-EU trade statistics (trade between EU Member States and non-EU countries) do not record exchanges involving goods in transit, placed in a customs warehouse or given temporary admission (for trade fairs, temporary exhibitions, tests, etc.). This is known as 'special trade'. The partner is the country of final destination of the goods for exports and the country of origin for imports.
Product classification
Information on commodities exported and imported is presented according to the Harmonised System for product classification. A full description is available here.
Unit of measure
Trade values are expressed in millions or billions (109) of euros. They correspond to the statistical value, i.e. to the amount which would be invoiced in case of sale or purchase at the national border of the reporting country. It is called a FOB value (free on board) for exports and a CIF value (cost, insurance, freight) for imports.
Context
Trade is an important indicator of Europe's prosperity and place in the world. The bloc is deeply integrated into global markets both for the products it sources and the exports it sells. The EU trade policy is one of the main pillars of the EU's relations with the rest of the world.
Because the 27 EU Member States share a single market and a single external border, they also have a single trade policy. EU Member States speak and negotiate collectively, both in the World Trade Organisation, where the rules of international trade are agreed and enforced, and with individual trading partners. This common policy enables them to speak with one voice in trade negotiations, maximising their impact in such negotiations. This is even more important in a globalised world in which economies tend to cluster together in regional groups.
The openness of the EU's trade regime has meant that the EU is the biggest player on the global trading scene and remains a good region to do business with. Thanks to the ease of modern transport and communications, it is now easier to produce, buy and sell goods around the world which gives European companies of every size the potential to trade outside Europe.