Status: 04/26/2022 10:39 a.m
The British government has announced new measures to support the Ukrainian economy. For example, Great Britain has waived tariffs on goods from Ukraine.
Great Britain waives tariffs on goods originating in Ukraine as part of a free trade agreement. The British government announced that tariffs would be temporarily set to zero percent and all import quotas would be abolished.
“We stand steadfastly with Ukraine in this ongoing struggle and will work to ensure Ukraine survives and prospers as a free and sovereign nation,” said Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Britain’s Secretary of State for International Trade. The tariff measures are part of the UK’s economic support package for Ukraine, which includes £1 billion in loan guarantees.
The measure was taken at the direct request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The British government wants to support the Ukrainian economy in the crisis by lowering tariffs on important export goods such as barley, honey, canned tomatoes and poultry to zero. Import duties for goods from Ukraine are currently around 22 percent. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to lower tariffs during his visit to Kyiv earlier this month.
Further export bans on wiretapping and surveillance equipment to Russia
At the same time, the government in London announced new economic sanctions against Russia. An export ban for products and technologies to Russia is to be extended to include listening and surveillance devices. They want to “close all loopholes” so that Russia can no longer buy goods from the UK to “oppress the heroic people of Ukraine,” the government statement said.
Last week, the British government tightened customs sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus and banned the import of silver and wood products. The import of iron and steel products and the export of quantum technologies, advanced materials and luxury goods had already been banned. In addition, tariffs on products such as diamonds and rubber from Russia were increased by 35 percentage points.