Ukraine Business News | 23 March 2026
Trade liberalization and investment promotion: The president approves the Ukraine-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
President Zelenskyy signed a law to ratify the intergovernmental Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. The Verkhovna Rada passed this law on February 26, and the agreement itself was signed by Ukraine and the UAE more than a year earlier – on February 17 2025.
The document outlines trade liberalization and investment promotion. Specifically, the UAE is expected to eliminate import duties on 26.5% of agricultural goods and 40.6% of industrial goods from Ukraine as soon as the agreement takes effect. After the three- and five-year transition periods, the UAE will remove import duties on an additional 39% of agricultural goods and 46.9% of industrial goods.
Meanwhile, from the moment the agreement comes into force, Ukraine will remove import duties on 15.7% of agricultural goods and 39.5% of industrial goods. After transitional periods, Ukraine will eliminate duties on another 83.6% of agricultural goods and 60.4% of industrial goods.
