The United Kingdom intends to deepen economic cooperation with Ukraine after withdrawal from the EU.
“We have designated Ukraine as one of the UK’s post-Brexit priority markets, and our ambition is to further improve and liberalize the trading relationship between us,” UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox said at the Ukraine Week 2018, hosted by the British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce.
The first step must be to provide certainty and continuity for those firms currently operating between the UK and Ukraine, he noted.
“Officials in the UK and Ukraine are working together to design a bilateral agreement that will replicate the effects of the DCFTA, to come into effect at the end of our transition period,” Fox said.
According to him, the highest priority for the UK is “minimizing the disruption to our existing trading relationship.”
“Let me reiterate that our exit from the EU does not change the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s development, growth and prosperity. Nor does it alter our commitment to sanctions against Russia,” the UK Secretary of State for International Trade underscored.
As noted, last year the total trade between Ukraine and the UK topped 1 billion pounds sterling, following two years of strong growth across the board, in goods and services, imports and exports. (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)