Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday ratified a free trade agreement with Turkey, completing a major step toward removing trade barriers and expanding economic ties between the two Black Sea countries.
The Verkhovna Rada approved the agreement, signed in Kyiv on February 3, 2022, shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The measure received 236 votes, 10 more than the minimum required for passage, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
Turkey approved ratification of the agreement in August 2024.
The deal will take effect after both countries complete the remaining domestic procedures and formally notify each other.
An earlier statement from Ukraine’s economy ministry said it would enter into force two months after the final notification.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the ratification as a “major milestone” in relations between the two countries in a statement on X on Tuesday.
“The agreement opens a new chapter in expanding trade, investment and economic cooperation between our countries, creating new opportunities for businesses and people on both sides,” Sybiha said, adding that the agreement would strengthen economic resilience and contribute to long-term prosperity and stability in the Black Sea region.
Sybiha also congratulated Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and said he expected to welcome him to Ukraine on Wednesday.
Turkey was Ukraine’s second-largest export market and its third-largest trading partner by total trade volume in 2025, according to Ukraine’s economy ministry.
Bilateral trade reached $7.9 billion, while Ukrainian exports to Turkey totaled $2.7 billion.
The agreement provides full liberalization for 84 percent of Ukrainian product categories entering the Turkish market, the ministry said.
Sensitive products will be covered by tariff quotas or transitional arrangements under which duties will be reduced gradually.
The deal also incorporates the rules of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention on preferential origin. The mechanism will allow Ukrainian manufacturers to use Turkish materials and components while retaining preferential-origin status when exporting finished products to European Union markets.
Ukrainian Economy, Environment and Agriculture Minister Oleksiy Sobolev said the agreement would create opportunities for Ukrainian exporters, attract investment and encourage the production of higher-value goods.
“Turkey is one of Ukraine’s key trade partners,” Sobolev said. “The free trade agreement creates new opportunities — from expanding markets for Ukrainian products to developing value-added production and attracting investment.”
The agreement was negotiated over several years and signed during a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Kyiv in February 2022.