Metinvest chief executive Yuriy Ryzhenkov has called for the European Union to reconsider restrictions on Ukrainian steel imports, arguing that measures intended to curb cheap supplies, particularly from China, fail to reflect Ukraine’s wartime circumstances. GMK Center, reporting on his BBC interview, said he wanted at least an exemption for Ukraine to preserve access to its crucial European market.
According to GMK Center, the EU’s new steel trade measures limit annual duty-free imports to 18.3 million tonnes, 47% below the 2024 level, with quotas allocated to individual countries. Ukrainian steel industry estimates suggest the quotas could ultimately reduce steel exports to the bloc by 50–60%. Although Ukraine has a free trade agreement with the EU, that arrangement does not rule out the use of trade defence measures.
The European Commission disputed the suggestion that Ukraine’s circumstances had been overlooked. A spokesperson told the BBC that the bloc had considered the country’s difficult situation when developing its steel policy. Ukraine’s separate quota would retain a route into the EU market, albeit at lower volumes than in earlier years. The spokesperson also said the EU had offered compensation to its largest suppliers, including Ukraine, which remains a significant steel exporter to the bloc.
The restrictions come as Ukrainian producers face extensive wartime damage. GMK Center reported that every steelworks in the country had been attacked since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with strikes intensifying recently. Ryzhenkov said there had been a period in September when Ukraine produced no steel, describing it as the first such interruption in roughly 150 years. Nearly 800 Metinvest employees have been killed since the war began.
Metinvest has improved shelters at its sites and put safety procedures in place, but Ryzhenkov said protecting an entire steelworks from damage was impossible. He expects the coming winter to rank among the industry’s hardest. Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s iron and steel sector represented around 10% of GDP and one-third of exports, according to GMK Center. Ryzhenkov argued that its future depends not only on rebuilding capacity but also on the conditions governing access to the EU market.