China, Poland and Turkey topped the list of Ukraine's largest trade partners in January-May 2026, according to foreign trade data as of May 31, 2026.
According to the calculations of the Experts Club analytical center based on the presented statistics, the total turnover of Ukraine with all countries of the world in the first five months of 2026 amounted to about $58.1 billion. Imports reached $40.5 billion, exports — $17.6 billion, and the negative balance of trade in goods amounted to about $22.9 billion.
The top 10 trading partners provided about $36.1 billion in turnover, or approximately 62% of all Ukrainian trade in goods. At the same time, they accounted for about $27.1 billion in imports and $9.0 billion in exports. This shows that Ukraine's foreign trade in 2026 remains highly concentrated around several key areas, and the overall balance is primarily formed due to imports from the largest economies of Europe, Asia and the USA.
China took first place by a wide margin. Trade turnover of Ukraine with China for January-May amounted to $11.75 billion. At the same time, imports from China reached $11.09 billion, and Ukrainian exports - only $663.8 million. The negative balance of trade with China was $10.43 billion, which makes the PRC the main source of Ukraine's trade deficit.
Poland is in second place with a trade turnover of $5.85 billion. Ukraine imported goods from Poland for $3.88 billion, exported - by $1.97 billion. The balance remained negative and amounted to $1.91 billion. Poland retains the importance of one of the main trade and logistics channels of Ukraine in the EU, especially in the conditions of the reorientation of Ukrainian trade after the start of a full-scale war.
Turkey took third place with a turnover of $4.21 billion. Imports from Turkey amounted to $2.66 billion, exports from Ukraine - $1.55 billion, negative balance — $1.11 billion. Turkey remains an important trade destination for Ukraine in the Black Sea region, combining the role of a supplier of industrial goods and a market for Ukrainian products.
Germany and the USA also entered the top five. Trade with Germany amounted to $3.68 billion, with the United States — $2.49 billion. In both cases, Ukraine has a significant deficit: $1.56 billion with Germany and $1.53 billion with the United States. This reflects its dependence on imports of equipment, machinery, transport, pharmaceuticals, energy and defense-related goods.
Italy ranked sixth, but its trade structure is markedly different from other major partners. Trade turnover amounted to $2.17 billion, while imports and exports were almost equal: $1.09 billion and $1.08 billion, respectively. The negative balance with Italy was only $9.5 million, which makes it one of the most balanced major trade partners of Ukraine.
Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia took the seventh and tenth places. Trade with Hungary amounted to $1.62 billion, with the Czech Republic — $1.45 billion, with the Netherlands — $1.45 billion, with Slovakia — $1.42 billion. The Netherlands stands out among them: it is the only country in the top 10 with which Ukraine has a positive balance — $213.9 million. This is due to the higher volume of Ukrainian exports compared to imports.
"The structure of the top ten shows that Ukrainian foreign trade in 2026 remains both European and Asian. The EU is a key space for trade, logistics and exports, but China remains the main supplier of imported goods. The main challenge for Ukraine is not only to increase exports, but also to reduce the asymmetry of trade with the largest partners, especially at the expense of products with a higher added value," noted the founder of the Experts Club analytical center Maksym Urakin.
It is particularly important that six EU countries entered the top 10 at once: Poland, Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia. Their combined role confirms that the European Union remains the basic trade circuit of Ukraine. However, even within the EU, the structure is heterogeneous: Poland and Germany create a large deficit for Ukraine, Italy is almost balanced, and the Netherlands has a positive balance.
China remains a separate trade balance problem. Its share in Ukrainian imports for the first five months of 2026 exceeds a quarter of total goods imports, while Ukrainian exports to China remain limited. As a result, almost half of Ukraine's total trade deficit is formed only in the Chinese direction.
For Ukraine, this means that the restoration of the foreign trade balance will require not only the growth of exports of agricultural and metallurgical products, but also the development of new export niches - machine building, processing, food products, IT-related goods and industrial cooperation with the EU.
For reference: the Experts Club analytical center used data on Ukraine's foreign trade in goods by country of the world as of May 31, 2026. All indicators in the original table are given in thousands of US dollars.
