Ukraine and Canada have discussed extending the regime of lifting all restrictions on the export of Ukrainian products to Canada, signing an updated Free Trade Agreement and supporting Ukraine’s accession to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP). This was discussed during an online meeting between Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development of Canada.

“We sincerely thank Canada for its unprecedented support to Ukraine in the face of russia’s ongoing military aggression. A year ago, Canada introduced a temporary liberalisation of trade in goods, removing all tariffs and quotas. The war is not over and the Ukrainian economy needs support. That is why we are asking Canada to consider extending the regime of lifting all tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian exports until the end of the war and possibly for the period of post-war recovery,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, Ukraine is counting on further liberalisation of access to the Canadian market in general and at the provincial level.

Yuliia Svyrydenko expressed gratitude to Canada for supporting Ukraine’s intention to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Mary Ng, for her part, pledged Canada’s full support for Ukraine and promised that all formalities for the signing of the modernised Ukraine-Canada Free Trade Agreement would be completed in the near future. She also pledged Canada’s support for Ukraine’s efforts to join the CPTPP, which Canada would chair next year.

On 11 April, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau announced the conclusion of negotiations on an updated Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. This document is to replace the existing Agreement, which has been in force since 2017.

The new Agreement will allow the parties to trade in everything that is not prohibited. It will also include guarantees for investors and an investment protection system based on the most modern legal instruments.

One of the sections is the Digital Trade Agreement, which sets out all the fundamental freedoms in this area.

The new Agreement will also cover financial services, temporary entry for business people, telecommunications, trade and gender, trade and small and medium enterprises, and trade and indigenous peoples. It will also include updated chapters on rules and procedures of origin, competition policy, monopolies and state-owned enterprises, public procurement, environment, labour, transparency, anti-corruption and responsible business conduct.