By 2030, Ukraine's annual export volumes could rise to $77 billion, and its share of GDP could reach 33%. These target benchmarks will be included in the new National Export Strategy, the draft of which is currently being developed by the Ministry of Economy in collaboration with businesses, industry and public associations, the expert community, and international partners. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine — Trade Representative of Ukraine, at the International Trade Forum held in Kyiv on March 5, 2025.
During the forum, organized by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Public Union "Fund for Supporting Reforms in Ukraine" with the support of the German government, participants were presented with the priorities, key strategic, and operational goals of the strategy. At the event, exporters, manufacturers, experts, members of the Ukrainian parliament, and government representatives had the opportunity to discuss current and potential opportunities and challenges for Ukrainian exports, as well as practical solutions that could help unlock the country's export potential.
"It is crucial that the document, which will define the main directions for our trade development, is created together with stakeholders. The forum is an excellent platform to hear feedback, ideas, and proposals from all interested parties regarding the future export strategy of Ukraine," said Taras Kachka.
According to him, export plays an important role in the country's economy. In 2024, it provided about $51 billion in foreign exchange earnings for the economy. At the same time, the share of exports in GDP has decreased over the past 10 years, from 49% in 2014 to 25% in 2023. A significant problem remains the high share of raw materials in exports. For example, the share of raw materials and low-tech products in exports increased from 52% in 2021 to 66.3% in 2024.
"Therefore, the priority of the strategy is not simply increasing the export volume in monetary terms or weight. We want to focus on increasing the production and export of goods with higher added value. In this sense, the National Export Strategy, as a state policy, is closely linked to the policy of supporting and developing industry and the national producer. The cornerstone of the export strategy is the production of national goods," said Taras Kachka.
The philosophy of the new strategy will involve joint work between businesses, the government, and public institutions to create conditions that foster export development. At the same time, the state will perform service functions, providing support to producers and businesses both domestically and abroad, helping to overcome barriers, and providing tools for development and expansion into target markets.
During the forum, participants discussed the current and strategic challenges arising from Russia's large-scale aggression and ways to overcome them. These included logistics problems, labor shortages, risks for investments, and long-term trade agreements.
A significant portion of the discussion was dedicated to the opportunities and challenges for Ukrainian producers and exporters related to European integration and Ukraine's accession to the EU. Proposals and practical cases presented by participants will be taken into account in further work on the draft National Export Strategy.
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The development of the National Export Strategy is being carried out with the participation of the TIPSTER project. (The TIPSTER project is implemented by the NGO "Fund for Supporting Reforms in Ukraine" with financial support from the German government under the international cooperation project ReACTUA, executed by the German federal company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH).
The mission of the National Export Strategy until 2030 is to increase the resilience of Ukraine's economy, improve its technological capacity, and transition to export-oriented growth through the expansion of the production and export of goods and services with higher added value. The strategy will have three main strategic goals:
- Increasing export volumes and improving its structure;
- Strengthening government capacities, institutions, and tools to address the tasks of export development, particularly expansion into target markets;
- Creating favorable conditions for conducting export activities.
Operational goals have been defined for each of the strategic objectives, such as improving the export structure, expanding access to export markets, overcoming non-tariff barriers, joining alliances and unions important for export development, and others.
Work on the document continues.
