EU Tariffs Aimed at China Hitting Ukraine, Steel Boss Says

3-line summary

• Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov told the BBC that recently imposed EU steel-import tariffs, aimed at curbing cheap imports from countries like China, were 'unfair' to Ukraine and had been imposed 'without any consideration' for Ukraine's wartime situation; he called for at least a carve-out for Ukraine's EU market access. The EU has capped tax-free steel imports at 18.3 million tonnes per year, a 47% reduction from 2024 levels, though with some country-specific quotas.
• Ukraine's steel industry estimates exports to the EU could ultimately fall 50-60%; a European Commission spokesperson said the bloc 'took into account the difficult situation' of Ukraine and had offered compensation to its largest suppliers, including Ukraine, while acknowledging Ukraine's quota is 'lower than in past years.'
• Metallurgy and mining accounted for roughly 10% of Ukraine's national income and a third of exports before Russia's 2022 invasion; Ryzhenkov said strikes on steel mills have intensified recently, with no steel produced in Ukraine for a period in September for the first time in about 150 years, and nearly 800 Metinvest workers killed since the war began.

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