On November 3, Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Oleksii Soboliev held an online meeting with Chris Bryant, the UK Minister of State for Business and Trade. The meeting was also attended by Ukraine’s Deputy Ministers Andrii Teliupa and Oleksandr Tsybort, as well as Francesca Scott, Director for Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Kyiv.
During the discussion, the parties addressed the further implementation of the provisions of the 100-Year Partnership Agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom and identified key areas of bilateral cooperation, including:
- Investment and economic development. Ukraine and the UK agreed to strengthen coordination to attract British private capital into Ukrainian industry, technology, the agricultural sector, and infrastructure reconstruction.
- Trade and market liberalization. The parties discussed further expanding access for Ukrainian goods to the British market, including extending zero tariffs on poultry and egg products. They also considered additional liberalization of trade in the agricultural sector to strengthen Ukrainian producers’ positions in the UK market.
- Support for small and medium-sized businesses. The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in financial support mechanisms for entrepreneurs, including through UK business development programs.
- War risk insurance. The meeting addressed the creation of joint investment insurance tools to stimulate private sector growth and enhance UK Export Finance’s participation in Ukrainian projects.
- Public procurement. Ukraine and the UK will cooperate on introducing non-price evaluation criteria for tenders and improving procurement procedures.
“The United Kingdom wants to play an active role in Ukraine’s recovery. Our 100-Year Partnership and bilateral Free Trade Agreement form the basis of long-term commitments. We are also working together on war risk insurance, improving procurement processes, and supporting projects through UK Export Finance. We understand the importance of trade liberalization for the agricultural sector and aim to make this decision,” said Oleksii Soboliev.
Additionally, the parties agreed to strengthen coordination between Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture and the UK Department for Business and Trade to prepare a joint action plan for 2026 and align further steps within the Ukraine–UK Strategic Dialogue, scheduled for November 2025.
