Ukraine is set to ban the export of key scrap metals from 2026. Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development Dmytro Kysylevskyi announced the government's decision on December 31, setting zero export quotas for ferrous and copper scrap.

The move aims to keep this strategic raw material within the country. Processing scrap domestically generates far more tax revenue, about UAH 15,000 per ton for finished products versus minimal taxes from exported raw scrap. With EU carbon border taxes looming, using scrap is also crucial for Ukraine's steel industry to lower emissions and align with European environmental standards.

The government first considered the ban back in April 2025, citing concerns that Ukrainian scrap was being re-exported via the EU to countries like Turkey. Parliament now plans to formalize the export restriction into law in 2026, intending to maintain it as long as the recovery needs demand.