TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN UKRAINE AND GERMANY IN 2015-2024 UNDER THE CHANGING GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The article examines the trade and economic relations between Ukraine and Germany in 2015-2024 in the context of changes in the global economic environment and world economic conditions. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing role of foreign trade in ensuring Ukraine's economic resilience amid global crisis phenomena, as well as by the significance of Germany as one of Ukraine's leading trading partners within the European Union.

The dynamics of exports, imports, and foreign trade turnover between Ukraine and Germany are analyzed, and the structural features of bilateral trade flows are examined. Particular attention is paid to the influence of global economic conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions in global logistics chains, geopolitical instability, and the full-scale war in Ukraine, all of which have significantly altered the conditions under which international trade operates.

It has been established that in 2015-2021 trade and economic relations between the two countries were characterized by an overall upward trend, whereas in 2022-2023 a substantial decline in trade volumes was observed under the influence of adverse global economic factors. In 2024, a partial recovery of trade activity was identified, indicating the adaptation of economic actors to new operating conditions and the gradual stabilization of foreign trade flows.

The study reveals structural imbalances in bilateral trade, manifested in the persistent predominance of imports over exports, the dominance of goods over services in trade composition, and the higher technological intensity of products imported from Germany compared with Ukrainian exports. This indicates a technological asymmetry between the two economies and a limited diversification of Ukrainian exports.

It is substantiated that global economic conditions exert a decisive influence on the dynamics, structure, and intensity of trade and economic relations between Ukraine and Germany, shaping both opportunities and constraints for their further development.


References

1. Derzhavna sluzhba statystyky Ukrainy [State Statistics Service of Ukraine]. Аvailable at: https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua
2. Khomutenko, L.I., Syzonenko, V.V. (2021). Foreign trade relations of Ukraine with Germany. Visnyk SumDU. Ekonomika, 1. DOI: 10.21272/1817-9215.2021.1-21 (in Ukrainian).
3. Shaida, O.Ye., Kosovska, V.V., Shaida, S.R. (2022). Peculiarities of foreign trade cooperation between Ukraine and Germany. Ekonomika ta suspilstvo, 46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2022-46-70 (in Ukrainian).
4. Shevchenko, L.V. (2019). Analysis of Ukrainian-German investment cooperation]. Visnyk Khmelnytskoho natsionalnoho universytetu. Ekonomichni nauky, 4 (1), 169-175. DOI: 10.31891/2307-5740-2019-272-4-1-169-175 (in Ukrainian).
5. Shevchuk, V.O., Pyvovarova, A.O. (2026). Comparative analysis of the socio-economic development of Ukraine and Germany in the context of global economic transformations. Aktualni problemy ta perspektyvy rozvytku ekonomiky ta upravlinnia v umovakh hlobalnykh zmin: kolektyvna monohrafiia / Kol. avtoriv. Poltava: Astraia. (in Ukrainian)
6. Statbase. Available at: https://statbase.org
7. Trade Map. International Trade Centre. Аvailable at: https://www.trademap.org
8. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Аvailable at: https://unctadstat.unctad.org