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Sun, 18 Oct 2026

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 EU tariffs aimed at China hitting Ukraine, steel boss says

The boss of one of Ukraine's biggest steel companies says the country has been "bundled together" in measures aimed at curbing cheap imports.

* Metinvest's CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov called on the EU to drop import restrictions on Ukrainian steel products, arguing they were "unfair" and had been imposed without consideration for Ukraine's situation.
* The EU has imposed tariffs on imported steel to protect member nations from cheap imports, capping the amount of steel that can enter the EU tax-free at 18.3 million tonnes per year (a 47% reduction).
* Despite a free-trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine, the FTA does not stop the EU from introducing separate trade protection measures.
* Ryzhenkov said Ukraine's steel industry estimates exports to the EU could fall by 50-60%.
* The EU acknowledged that Ukraine's specific steel quota guaranteed exports of the metal, but noted it was at a "level lower than in past years".
* Ukraine's steel industry is crucial for its economy, with metallurgy and mining accounting for roughly 10% of national income and a third of exports before the start of Russia's invasion.
* Ryzhenkov said the war had intensified significantly recently, with all Ukrainian steel mills having been bombed at some point since 2022.
* Almost 800 Metinvest workers have been killed since the war began, and Ryzhenkov expected this winter to be "one of the hardest in our history".
* The CEO warned that cutting Ukraine's available market by 60% would not help the industry survive.