Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 8, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 8, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUkraine recorded a March diesel import high of 577 000 tonnes—27 % more than February and 12 % above last year. PM Svyrydenko vows to sustain import levels in April and urges traders to lower prices amid volatile global markets.
KYIV, April 8 (Reuters) - Ukraine imported record volumes of fuel in March despite market turbulence caused by the Iran war and will maintain the pace of imports in April, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday, urging traders to lower prices.
With Russian attacks having destroyed its domestic refining capacity, Ukraine now depends almost entirely on imports for its diesel and gasoline needs.
After the outbreak of the conflict in the Gulf, diesel prices nearly doubled, raising concerns among farmers as they began the spring sowing campaign, which is critical for the country.
"We are recording a decline in quotations on the major exchanges, which should have a direct impact on fuel prices in Ukraine," Svyrydenko said on the Telegram messenger.
She said state-owned firm Ukrnafta had already begun lowering prices and she believed that if the global trend continues, a "more substantial decrease" is expected.
"The (Ukrainian) market should respond fairly to changes in the pricing environment," she noted.
Diesel demand in Ukraine traditionally peaks in the spring, when farmers sow spring crops, during the harvest in the second half of summer, and in early autumn, when winter grains, mainly wheat, are planted.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Ukraine imported record fuel volumes in March due to destroyed domestic refining capacity from Russian attacks, making the country reliant on imports, especially during peak agricultural demand.
The conflict in the Gulf doubled diesel prices in Ukraine, causing concerns among farmers at the start of the spring sowing campaign.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko urged traders to lower prices in response to declining global quotations and highlighted that state-owned Ukrnafta has already begun to reduce prices.
Diesel demand peaks in the spring during sowing, in late summer harvest, and in early autumn for planting winter grains.
The Prime Minister expects a more substantial decrease in prices if declining trends in major exchanges continue.
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