Ukraine ratifies FTA with Türkiye to mark 'new era' of economic co-op
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ankara, Türkiye, May 15, 2025. (Reuters Photo)


Ukraine's Parliament ratified the free trade agreement (FTA) with Türkiye on Tuesday, a key step toward the pact's entry into force and paving the way for deeper economic ties.

The agreement was signed during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Ukraine in February 2022. It completed Türkiye's ratification process in 2024.

"Another historic milestone has been reached in the Türkiye-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement," Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said.

Bolat added that the Ukrainian Parliament's approval opens a door to "a new era of economic and trade cooperation" between the two countries.

The agreement is expected to enter into force after being signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Ukraine reached $6.2 billion in 2024 and increased to $6.6 billion in 2025, according to official data.

Trade rose a further 10% year-over-year in the first half of 2026 to around $3.2 billion.

Under the agreement, around 90% of bilateral trade will be liberalized on a reciprocal basis, Bolat said, adding that it will boost the competitiveness of Turkish exporters in the Ukrainian market.

The minister said the agreement would also facilitate trade in services, strengthen logistics operations, support Turkish contracting services and provide a more transparent and secure legal framework for reciprocal investments.

Bolat said the deal would bring the two countries closer to their jointly declared target of increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion, a goal set by Erdoğan and Zelenskyy.

The two leaders met in April, before Zelenskyy arrived in Ankara last week for the NATO summit.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was due to arrive in Kyiv on Wednesday, in a visit expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties, advancing efforts toward a lasting peace, and enhancing regional security.

Fidan last visited Ukraine in late May 2025. He was scheduled to be received by Zelenskyy on Wednesday and hold meetings with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.

During the meetings, Fidan was expected to discuss steps to deepen the Türkiye-Ukraine strategic partnership and expand cooperation in areas including economy, energy, and defense.

He is also expected to stress the importance of sustaining diplomatic efforts toward a lasting peace in Ukraine and reiterate that Türkiye remains ready to bring Ukraine and Russia back to the negotiating table.

NATO member Türkiye has sought to maintain good relations with its warring Black Sea neighbors, pitching itself as a key go-between and possible peacemaker between the two.

It has played a role in brokering several prisoner swap deals between Russia and Ukraine and helped put in place a deal in 2022 to ensure grain could be shipped safely from Ukraine's Black Sea ports. The accord remained in effect for a year.

Istanbul was the venue of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the early weeks of the conflict four years ago.