The EU has imposed restrictions on the import of cheap steel from China, but Ukraine has also fallen under these rules, according to Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov. He stated that due to new quotas, Ukrainian steel exports to the EU could decrease by 50-60%. Ryzhenkov noted that the EU has become the main accessible market for Ukrainian metallurgists due to the war, port blockades, and expensive logistics.

Ryzhenkov considers it unfair that Ukraine has been placed in the same category as other steel suppliers to the EU. The new regulations reduce the total duty-free steel import to the EU to 18.3 million tons per year, a 47% decrease from 2024. This comes as Ukraine's steel industry is already in a deep crisis, with enterprises subjected to Russian strikes and a period in September where the country produced no steel at all. Ryzhenkov emphasized that access to the European market is crucial for the industry's survival, and a 60% reduction is detrimental.