How Trump’s tariffs will affect Ukraine: small producers will suffer, iPhones will become more expensive

How Trump’s tariffs will affect Ukraine: small producers will suffer, iPhones will become more expensive

US President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on imports to the US, which also affected Ukraine, which exported goods to the States worth $874 million in 2024. It is expected that this will lead to a 10-20% increase in the price of Apple technology in Ukraine and impact small manufacturers, but at the same time open up new opportunities in alternative markets.

Since American goods, including Apple products, are subject to an additional 10% tariff, the cost of new iPhones, Macs, and iPads in Ukraine may rise by 10-20%. This will particularly affect budget models such as the 64GB iPhone, which may simply disappear from official supplies.

Additionally, an increase in the used equipment market is expected, as new devices will become less accessible. The first changes in prices may be noticeable within 1–3 months. The US tariff increase will have an indirect impact on Ukrainian businesses, particularly small manufacturers who export products to America.

"If everything remains as it is, the US universal tariff will mainly hit small manufacturers," notes Economy Minister Yuliya Svyrydenko. Ukrainian exports to the US in 2024 amounted to only $874 million, of which $363 million was pig iron, and $112 million was pipes. Since most of the exports consisted of goods that already had high tariffs (e.g., 25% on steel and aluminum), the overall effect will be limited. Meanwhile, Ukrainian imports from the US in 2024 reached $3.4 billion, which is five times more than the export.

According to Danilo Hetmantsev, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, Ukraine will not be able to avoid indirect negative consequences. "The global trade war will significantly hit our economic and trade partners, primarily the EU. They will slow down, therefore generating less money, which will reduce opportunities to assist us," he said.

In response, EU countries, China, and India may impose their own tariffs on American goods. Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak (Holos) hinted that in this situation, new opportunities might even arise for Ukraine: "Now the EU, China, India, and others will also impose tariffs on US products in response... And here, a window of opportunity opens for us to enter their market," the message states.

Interestingly, even the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, part of Australia, were subject to Trump’s new tariffs. These volcanic territories, inhabited only by penguins and seabirds, are officially included in the list subject to tariffs. Meanwhile, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, and North Korea remained outside the list.