The value of Ukrainian exports fell by 18.7% in 2023 compared to 2022 and amounted to 35.8 billion dollars, which is the lowest figure for the last decade, Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Shvyrydenko said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

In total, in 2023, Ukraine exported 99.8 million tons of products, which is 112,000 tons more than in 2022, she said.

Road exports were hit by the blocking of border crossings by protesting Polish truckers, leading to an 18.3% drop in December compared to November, when the protests began.

However, the year-on-year reduction was only 0.7%, Svyridenko added.

The Black Sea Corridor helped exports

Sea exports in December increased by 30.7% compared to November, she wrote on the LinkedIn platform.

“In general, for 2023, we have almost 1 million tons of additional sea exports,” added Svyridenko.

On December 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s alternative Black Sea export corridor, which was implemented after Russia in July withdrew from the UN-brokered agreement to guarantee the safe transportation of Ukrainian grain, has so far handled 12 million tons of cargo.

He added that this corridor gave “especially significant results for the month of December, and this is felt throughout our economy.”

Ukraine needs a lot of financial assistance

Ukraine needs $37 billion in Western financial aid to keep its economy afloat in the face of nearly two years of Russian invasion, Prime Minister Denys Shmigal said on Wednesday, AFP reported.

Last year, Ukraine received $42.6 billion in foreign funds, 27% of which were in the form of grants, Shmyhal noted, naming the EU, USA, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, the IMF and the World Bank as the main supporters of economic Kyiv.

“This year’s needs are over $37 billion. We count on regular, stable and timely help from our partners,” Shmigal said at the first meeting of his government in 2024, which took place against the background of increased Russian strikes in recent days.