Zelenskyy downplays impact of Washington’s tariff hike, saying trade volume with US remains low
The new tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump’s administration will not affect Ukraine’s economy or its military aid supply, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday.
Talking to the media in Kyiv, Zelenskyy emphasized that the volume of weapon deliveries will not be affected. “The volume of arms supply is not influenced by this; that’s the first thing,” he said.
He added that Ukraine’s trade turnover with the US remains “very small,” currently standing at $3.5–3.8 billion.
“We understand what tariffs existed before on our metallurgy; there was a 25% tariff even earlier. Then, after the full-scale war began, the tariff was lowered, and now it has been restored,” he explained.
“This isn’t a volume that presents problems for us. It’s not an issue,” Zelenskyy noted, although he acknowledged that the decision is “not very good” for Ukraine’s economy.
“In terms of tariffs, they will not affect us overall,” he believed.
The US on Wednesday reintroduced higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from certain countries, including Ukraine, sparking concern among international trade partners.
