Ukraine and Canada will complete the work on expanding the Free Trade Agreement in the coming weeks

Ukraine and Canada will complete work on expanding the Free Trade Agreement in the coming weeks. The decision was made during a virtual meeting between the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko and the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development of Canada Mary Ng.

During the talks, government officials discussed a number of issues, in particular:

• Cooperation in the agricultural sector. “Canada, like Ukraine, is an important player in the grain market. Therefore, we hope for support in overcoming the food crisis caused by russia's deliberate blockade of Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea ports in order to cause food shortages in developing countries,” said Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
• Potential abolition of trade tariffs on Ukrainian goods by Canada. The EU and the United Kingdom have recently made such a decision. "This will help exporters to increase exports and thus strengthen the Ukrainian economy and the defense capabilities of our country," said Yulia Svyrydenko.
• Possible forms of Canada's support for Ukraine at the current stage, as well as during the postwar economic recovery of our state. In particular, they touched upon the return of international investors who were forced to leave Ukraine at the beginning of the war or significantly curtailed production.

It should be noted that despite the distance between Ukraine and Canada, trade between the countries is actively developing. Thus, in 2021, the volume of Ukrainian-Canadian trade increased by more than 70% and amounted to USD 420.7 million. Meanwhile, exports of goods from Ukraine to Canada increased 11 times.