The key facts

  • The EU cut duty-free steel imports to 18.3 million tonnes a year — 47% below the 2024 level
  • Metinvest is asking for 'at least an exemption' for Ukraine; the EU says it took its situation into account and offered compensations
  • In September, for the first time in roughly 150 years, 'not a single tonne of steel was produced' in Ukraine, Ryzhenkov says

EU tariffs against cheap imports hit Ukraine, says Metinvest chief

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest, one of Ukraine's largest steel companies, called on the European Union to lift restrictions on imports of Ukrainian products, saying in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine had been 'lumped together' with measures aimed at cheap imports from China and other countries. He called the recently introduced EU steel tariffs 'unfair' and introduced 'without regard to the situation Ukraine is in', referring to the war with Russia. He asked for 'at least an exemption' (carve out) for Ukrainian steel to access the EU market.

EU measures and the European Commission's position

The EU recently restricted steel imports to protect producers in member states struggling to compete with cheap imports, in particular from China and Turkey. The duty-free quota has been set at 18.3 million tonnes a year — 47% below the 2024 level; the policy includes separate country quotas. Despite the existing free trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine, it does not prevent the EU from introducing separate safeguard measures. A European Commission spokesperson said the EU 'took into account Ukraine's dire situation' when shaping its steel policy, that Ukraine's quota guarantees exports — albeit 'at a level lower than in previous years' — and that the EU 'has offered compensations' to the largest suppliers, including Ukraine. 'Despite the war effort, Ukraine remains an important steel exporter to the EU,' the spokesperson added.

State of the industry and consequences

According to estimates by the Ukrainian steel industry, steel exports to the EU could eventually fall by about 50–60%. Steel is the backbone of the Ukrainian economy: before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, metals and mining accounted for about 10% of national income and a third of exports, with the EU the main buyer. All Ukrainian steel plants have been hit since the start of the conflict, and, according to Ryzhenkov, shelling 'has significantly intensified recently'. At one point in September, 'not a single tonne of steel was produced' in Ukraine — for the first time in roughly 150 years. Since the start of the war, nearly 800 Metinvest employees have been killed; the company has reinforced shelters at its plants, but, as Ryzhenkov noted, 'you cannot cover an entire steel plant to avoid damage'. He expects the coming winter to be 'one of the hardest in our history': 'We have no logistics to access any market other than the EU, and a 60% reduction in the available market does not help the industry survive.'

Worker at the Zaporizhstal steel plant, owned and operated by Metinvest, in Ukraine.Image source, Getty Images
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, chief executive of Metinvest, being interviewed by the BBC. He is wearing a blue suit jacket and a white shirt. He has grey hair and is wearing glasses.
Image caption,

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, chief executive of Metinvest, says EU steel quotas are "unfair" on Ukraine