Ukraine extends duties on coated steel from Russia and China for another 5 years

On May 21, 2025, the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade (ICIT) decided to extend safeguard duties on imports of a number of steel products to Ukraine to protect domestic producers from unfair competition, the Ministry of Economy said in a press release.

In particular, anti-dumping duties on imports of rolled steel products with anti-corrosion coatings originating in Russia and China, as well as cement from Moldova, Russia and Belarus, remain in effect for another 5 years. At the same time, imports from Russia are still banned under Government Resolution No. 426 of April 9, 2022.

In addition, the Commission has begun reviewing the existing safeguard measures, which are about to expire. This concerns imports of seamless steel pipes and ferrous steel products without electrical insulation from China. The review will help assess the relevance of the duties and their effectiveness in the current market conditions.

“Historically, Ukraine has been rather slow to respond to import growth and has hardly ever used provisional anti-dumping duties that could be imposed during the investigation. Given the spread of protectionism and changes in global approaches to foreign trade relations, a timely review of trade barriers is becoming an urgent need,” said GMK Center analyst Andriy Glushchenko.

The ICIT has also initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of cable and wire products from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. The aim is to check whether the products are being supplied at lower prices, which could harm domestic producers.

“Supporting and protecting Ukrainian producers is one of the key priorities of the Government. Especially when it comes to protection against unfair imports. If you are a manufacturer and face aggressive non-market competition, please contact the Ministry of Economy to initiate anti-dumping investigations. Ukraine adheres to the principles of openness, but is ready to protect its market in accordance with WTO rules,” said Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

In April, the ICIT initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of coated carbon steel flat products from Malaysia to Ukraine. The reason for this was suspicions that these imports were used to circumvent previously imposed duties on similar products of Chinese origin.

In January-April 2025, imports of flat products to the Ukrainian market increased by 22% compared to the same period in 2024, to 355.56 thousand tons. Coated flat products (HS 7210) accounted for more than 40% of imports, up 15.7% y/y at 149.27 thousand tons.