Ukraine is counting on further constructive cooperation with the United States in trade under the new administration of Donald Trump, as there is mutual interest in expanding it, stated Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine.
"Our partner remains the Department of Commerce, US Trade Representative. We welcome that Howard Latnik has become the Secretary of Commerce. We have our agenda that we discussed. We hope to meet soon, and there are already certain time frames set, allowing us to continue our work," he told Interfax-Ukraine agency in the corridors of the "Ukrainian House" in Davos on Tuesday.
Kachka reminded that Ukraine has an agreement with the United States on the suspension of tariffs on Ukrainian steel extended until June 1, 2025. According to him, Kyiv hopes for its extension following future meetings.
He also noted that the plans announced by Donald Trump in his inaugural speech to create an external revenue service, which will regulate tariffs on goods imported into the US, do not directly concern Ukraine.
"Ukraine is also striving to collect all the duties, taxes, and fees necessary for our budget. We also plan to reform customs. We have a working group for customs reform. Perhaps the terminology used by President Trent is somewhat different from what we are doing. But on the other hand, such initiatives draw attention to the fact that global trade needs reform," commented the Trade Representative of Ukraine.
He stated that there will be an informal ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization at the current World Economic Forum in Davos, where this issue will also be discussed.
"And here, it's not just the United States; there is a very specific global position from India. There are also traditional principles upheld by European countries. We all need to sit down again and negotiate, updating the rules. This is important for Ukraine because we are exporters, and for some goods, we are global exporters," Kachka emphasized.
He pointed out that the results of the Uruguay Round of negotiations should not be treated as gospel, and Ukraine also has its own claims, which, by the way, are very similar to the American ones, only they operate differently.
"So, what do the United States say? – They say that throughout all rounds of negotiations within the WTO, they have reduced their tariffs. True, this applies to industrial products, while for agricultural products, it is different. We also entered with expectations of the Doha Round results, hoping that tariffs would be reduced. Now we see that the Doha Round has long become part of textbooks; its agenda is no longer so relevant. We see that besides tariffs, the issue of active subsidies is emerging: it’s not just China; many are distributing subsidies. Therefore, it is clear that it is in our interest, as well as that of the United States, to state that we need fair rules and fair access to markets," explained the Trade Representative of Ukraine.