Ukraine foreign minister to visit PHL in July to press for trade commission

UKRAINE is pushing to deepen economic and agricultural ties with the Philippines through a proposed bilateral trade commission, and is currently awaiting a response from the Philippine government, the Ukrainian ambassador said.

Ambassador Yuliia Fediv said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is expected to visit the country in July to discuss its proposal to set up a Joint Commission on Trade, Investment and Scientific-Technical Cooperation and possible agreements covering agriculture, defense and cybersecurity.

“We also would be happy to create the joint commission on trade investment between other countries and it’s still pending on the Philippine side,” Ms. Fediv told reporters on Monday. “I hope we can move forward because it’s always great to have this cross-institutional cooperation.”

Ms. Fediv said Ukraine is seeking stronger food security-related trade with the Philippines, describing agriculture as a shared area of interest.

She also said Kyiv is open to providing technical assistance on agricultural machinery to help improve Philippine farm productivity.

Bilateral trade between the Philippines and Ukraine has remained steady at about $16 million, with the balance favoring the Philippines, according to the embassy.

Philippine exports include electronic parts and processed food products such as banana chips, while Ukraine exports wheat, soybeans, sunflower oil and pharmaceutical products.

She added that about 70% of the trade comes from the Philippines.

Ms. Fediv also expressed Ukraine’s openness to establishing Ukrainian businesses in the country and vice versa, but noted that the businesses are still studying the entry points for expanding bilateral trade.

“We want to do an online meeting, B2B, in the coming weeks. And this meeting will be dedicated just to brief both sides on how to do the businesses in both countries, about the legislation, about the loopholes, about the entry points,” Ms. Fediv said. 

Kyiv is also considering establishing an agricultural hub within Southeast Asia.

According to Ms. Fediv, Ukraine has diplomatic representation in six Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, with the Philippines being the newest addition.

The Embassy of Ukraine in the Philippines officially opened in 2024, with the last bilateral political consultations held in 2010.

While Ukraine continues to prosecute its war with Russia, Ms. Fediv said the Philippines may consider taking part in reconstruction and issued an invitation to explore the use of Ukrainian technology and innovations. 

“When you invest and you become part of the bigger corporate groups, then you see which technologies and which innovations Ukrainians are using for rebuilding Ukraine,” she said, noting that the Philippines may also benefit from the reconstruction, whose lessons could be applied to rebuilding after natural disasters. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel