Ukraine steel chief says EU tariffs targeting China are harming his country
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the chief executive of Metinvest – one of Ukraine’s largest steel producers – has urged the European Union to exempt Ukrainian products from its newly‑introduced steel import restrictions. He told the BBC that the tariffs, which were designed to curb cheap imports from China, are “unfair” and were imposed without regard for Ukraine’s war‑torn situation.
Ryzhenkov asked for “at least a carve‑out” that would allow Ukrainian steel to continue reaching the EU market. A European Commission spokesperson replied that the bloc had taken Ukraine’s difficult circumstances into account when shaping its steel policy.
The EU recently introduced limits on steel imports to protect manufacturers in member states. The new rules cap duty‑free steel entry at 18.3 million tonnes a year, a 47 percent drop from 2024 levels. While some country‑specific quotas exist, the overall goal is to reduce imports that compete with cheaper steel from China and Turkey. A free‑trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine does not prevent the bloc from applying separate protective measures.
“Ukraine has been bundled together into those measures without any consideration for the situation Ukraine is in,” Ryzhenkov said, referring to the ongoing war with Russia. “Access to the European market is crucial for survival. The restrictive measures that have been put in place by the authorities in the European Union don’t help. I think it’s unfair that Ukraine has been treated in the same way as all of the other importers into the European Union.”
The Ukrainian steel sector estimates that exports to the EU could fall by 50‑60 percent as a result of the new limits. The EU noted that Ukraine’s specific quota still guarantees some exports, but admitted that the level is lower than in previous years. “Despite the war effort, Ukraine remains an important exporter of steel to the EU,” the spokesperson added, saying the bloc had offered compensation to its largest suppliers, including Ukraine.
Steel is a cornerstone of Ukraine’s economy. Before Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022, metallurgy and mining contributed about 10 percent of national income and a third of exports, with the EU as the top customer. The industry has been repeatedly hit by Russian attacks; every Ukrainian steel mill has been bombed at some point since the conflict began, and Ryzhenkov said the strikes have intensified recently. In September, for the first time in roughly 150 years, no steel was produced in Ukraine at all.
Since the war started, almost 800 Metinvest employees have been killed. The company has improved shelter areas at its plants to protect workers during air raids. “The only thing we can do is to design procedures to keep people safe, obey those procedures and try to minimise the risks,” Ryzhenkov said. “Unfortunately, you cannot cover a whole steel mill to avoid it being damaged.”
Looking ahead, Ryzhenkov warned that the coming winter could be “one of the hardest in our history.” He added, “We are in a dire situation when we don’t have logistics to access any market apart from the EU, and cutting our available market by 60 percent doesn’t help the industry survive.”