Zelenskyy tasks with regulating imbalance between imports and exports: What will change
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has tasked with regulating the import-export imbalance (president.gov.ua)
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, chaired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a meeting where a number of economic issues were discussed, according to the official website of the President of Ukraine.
Special attention was given to financial stability and discipline. In particular, the President tasked with regulating the import-export imbalance.
"We need to create significantly more opportunities for domestic production and support all forms of economic activity in Ukraine. Just as we are already attracting foreign investments into weapons production, government officials must work on securing investments in other industries as well," the President emphasized.
A significant portion of foreign exchange spending currently involves unproductive imports, artificially stimulated by an undervalued exchange rate. For example, in 2024, 69.6 thousand new passenger cars were registered in Ukraine, which is 14% more than in 2023.
According to a research study by the State Statistics Service, more than half of the international aid, amounting to $19.1 billion, went to the needs of the population. Specifically, $12.2 billion was purchased by individuals in the form of cash and non-cash currency, mainly in banks (it should be noted that banks purchase this currency in hryvnas from the NBU’s (National Bank of Ukraine) reserves).
Almost $7 billion were spent on payments with hryvna cards abroad and cash withdrawals from foreign ATMs – supporting Ukrainians who are outside the country.
As reported by the NBU, Ukraine received significant international aid in the form of grants and loans in 2024, totaling $42 billion. This amount should be supplemented by another $3.5 billion raised on the domestic market through domestic government bonds (OVDP).
