By Bosphorus News Economy Desk
Türkiye and Ukraine's free trade agreement entered into force on October 1, 2026, more than four years after it was signed in Kyiv. Customs-duty reductions on goods, however, will not begin until January 1, 2027, according to Türkiye's Trade Ministry.
For importers and exporters, the immediate change is legal rather than tariff-based. The scheduled customs-duty reductions in the goods lists will not begin until January 1, 2027.
Türkiye and Ukraine signed the agreement on February 3, 2022, after negotiations that began in 2011. Türkiye completed its domestic approval process on October 4, 2024. Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada ratified the agreement on July 14, 2026, and Türkiye's Trade Ministry says Kyiv completed its approval process with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's approval on July 31.
Ukraine's ratification framework provided for the agreement to enter into force after both sides completed their domestic procedures and exchanged the required notifications.
84% of Ukrainian Goods Set for Full Liberalization
Ukraine's Economy Ministry says the agreement provides full liberalization of access to the Turkish market for 84% of Ukrainian goods. Sensitive product lines will remain subject to tariff quotas or transition periods.
The agreement also introduces updated Pan-Euro-Mediterranean rules of origin. Ukrainian manufacturers will be able to use Turkish materials and components while retaining preferential origin for subsequent exports to European Union markets, provided the relevant origin rules are met.
That provision connects the agreement directly to regional production chains. Ukrainian companies gain another route for combining Turkish inputs with exports to EU markets.
Two Official Trade Totals, One $10 Billion Target
Türkiye and Ukraine publish different figures for their 2025 bilateral trade.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said in June that trade reached $6.6 billion in 2025. Ukraine's Economy Ministry reported $7.9 billion and put Ukrainian exports to Türkiye at $2.7 billion.
The totals differ, but the political target does not. The two governments are working toward $10 billion in annual bilateral trade, a goal set by their presidents. Bolat linked the agreement's entry into force directly to that target in June.
The free trade agreement also sits within a larger commercial file centered on Ukraine's reconstruction. During a March 2025 visit to Kyiv, Bolat discussed the $10 billion trade target, reconstruction projects and the role of Turkish contractors with Ukrainian officials. Türkiye's Trade Ministry said Turkish firms had continued infrastructure work in Ukraine during the war.
The agreement is now legally in force. Its first scheduled customs-duty reductions on goods will begin on January 1, 2027.
Sources: Türkiye's Trade Ministry, Ukraine's Ministry of Economy and Environment, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Bosphorus News review and reporting.