Eurostat: EU exports to Ukraine up 17.9%, imports down 2.5% in Q1 2025 y/y

In the first quarter of 2025, exports from the European Union to Ukraine were 17.9 per cent higher than in the first quarter of 2024, while imports were down by 2.5 per cent, EU statistics agency Eurostat said on May 23.

Eurostat said that the EU trade surplus with Ukraine peaked in the first quarter of 2025 at 5.8 billion euro.

Ukraine’s share in extra-EU imports dropped 0.1 percentage point (pp) between the first quarters of 2021 and 2025.

By contrast, the share for Ukraine in extra-EU exports has been steadily increasing from 1.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 to 1.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 but dropped dropped 0.1 pp in first quarter of 2025, Eurostat said.

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,” the statistics agency said.

“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,” it said.

These exports played a crucial role in sustaining Ukraine’s infrastructure and industrial capacity, Eurostat said.

“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.”

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 particular in the area of agricultural goods,” Eurostat said.

In absolute terms in value, the largest product groups exported to Ukraine were fuels, electrical machinery, vehicles, machinery and pharmaceutical products. Between the first quarters of 2021 and 2025, exports of these five products increased. The largest increase was for fuels (+1.2 billion euro).