Ukraine successfully conducted a second trade policy review at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the website of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine reports.

According to information on the ministry's website, the meeting was held on February 26 and February 28 at the WTO headquarters in Geneva. The delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Economy - Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.

"We received over 400 written questions from 20 WTO members, mainly on trade and investment regimes. This confirms the significant interest in deepening economic cooperation with Ukraine, despite the war. Feedback on the sustainability of the economy, the critical role of agricultural exports in global food security, and the development of high-value-added industries are especially valuable to us," Kachka was quoted as saying in the report.

He added that WTO members also highly appreciated the progress in protecting intellectual property and fulfilling transparency obligations.

The Ministry of Economy noted that preparations for the review lasted for over a year. As part of this, Ukraine cooperated with state bodies, structural units of the Ministry of Economy, and the WTO Secretariat. In December, WTO members received reports from the Secretariat and the government of Ukraine for analysis.

Kachka emphasized that a successful review will contribute to strengthening Ukraine's trade relations with partners.

The trade representative also separately noted a significant achievement of economic diplomacy at the WTO meeting - for the first time, a joint statement of 45 WTO members condemning the destructive impact of Russian aggression on the world trading system was included in the minutes. The statement was distributed as an official WTO document.

The Ministry of Economy emphasized that conducting trade policy reviews of WTO members is one of the most important activities of this international organization. The purpose of the reviews is to ensure transparency and predictability of WTO members' trade regimes, and to promote fuller compliance with WTO rules and principles by all members.

The frequency of trade policy reviews depends on the share of a WTO member in the total volume of world trade: the four largest global traders (EU, USA, Japan and China) must undergo such a procedure, as a rule, once every three years; the next 16 WTO members (such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, India, Turkey, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE, etc.) – every five years; the remaining WTO members, including Ukraine, – every seven years, with the possibility of extending the period between reviews for the least developed countries, as well as if necessary.

Ukraine became a full member of the WTO in 2008. The first Trade Policy Review of Ukraine took place in April 2016. The next one was supposed to take place in November 2023, but due to the Russian full-scale aggression, the dates were postponed to 2025.