Economy Ministry responds to US tariffs against Ukraine: Hard, but not critical

According to her, the situation with the imposed American tariffs is “hard, but not critical.” She also emphasized that Ukraine has not faced additional tariffs like Moldova (31%) or the EU (20%).

According to the minister of economy, Ukraine exported goods worth $874 million to the United States. Of these, $363 million was for cast iron and another $112 million was for pipes. The total amount of imports from the United States amounted to $3.4 billion.

"If everything remains as it is, the American universal tariff will hit mainly small producers. Therefore, we are already working to ensure better conditions for Ukraine. We export more than 600 different categories of goods to the US, including 65 types of products worth more than $1 million," Svyrydenko noted.

The official also emphasized that Ukraine has something to offer the United States as a reliable ally and partner, and added that fair tariffs "would benefit both our countries."

Background

US President Donald Trump previously said he would impose reciprocal tariffs of 10% on goods from all countries in the world. He announced much higher additional taxes for some countries — 34% for China and 20% for the European Union.

The US will also impose 25% tariffs on all car imports to the US. They will take effect on April 3. Trump stressed that April 2 was "economic independence day" for the US.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later explained that Washington did not impose tariffs on goods from Russia and Belarus because these countries are under sanctions, and therefore there is no trade with them. However, the Washington Post writes that the 10% tariff will still affect Russia and Belarus. According to the newspaper, only Canada and Mexico are not yet threatened by the new tariffs.

He also warned US trading partners against responding to new tariffs.