Ukraine plans to increase its exports even further in the fourth year of the war started by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday in his daily video broadcast.
The country had already succeeded in boosting exports by 15% in 2024, Zelensky said, stressing that having export routes across the Black Sea was crucial for foreign trade.
The president put the value of last year's exports at more than $41 billion.
According to the economy ministry in Kiev, Ukraine's main exports include sunflower oil, corn, wheat, soybeans and iron ore.
As a result of Russia's ownership of industrial areas in eastern Ukraine in particular, the agricultural sector has long since replaced the metallurgical industry as the main export sector.
Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale invasion by Russia since February 2022.
Before that, in 2021, the export of Ukrainian goods was equal to almost $70 billion, according to the national statistics office.
However, even before the war, Ukraine was the poorest country in Europe in terms of per capita income, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In his speech, Zelensky described Syria as a new partner and held out the prospect of resuming diplomatic relations with the country after the fall of the al-Assad regime in December.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha had recently traveled to Damascus together with Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval to hold talks with Syria's new rulers.
Trade relations are also to be strengthened with Lebanon and African countries, Zelensky said.
