---
title: "UMP Demands Priority in Transport for Metallurgy on Par with Fuel and Oil: Appeal to Koretsky"
description: "UMP appealed to Prime Minister Koretsky demanding the inclusion of metallurgy in the list of priority cargo alongside fuel and oil. The industry generated 5.5% of GDP and $6 billion in currency in 2025, but ended 2026 with a UAH 28 billion loss due to port blockages."
date: 2026-10-19T15:00:38.849Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ump-demands-priority-metallurgy-transportation
tags: [ukraine, metallurgy, logistics, government, export, taxes, ump, railway]
author: "Darya Fomina, Andrey Kosynko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# UMP Demands Priority in Transport for Metallurgy on Par with Fuel and Oil: Appeal to Koretsky

![UMP President Oleksandr Kalenkov in a business suit in an office](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/19/ump-trebuje-prioriteta-metallurgii-v-perevozkah/ump-trebuje-prioriteta-metallurgii-v-perevozkah-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The Cabinet is preparing a resolution on the priority of fuel and vegetable oil on railways, in ports, and at the border; UMP demands a similar status for metallurgy
- In 2025, the mining and metals complex provided 5.5% of GDP, UAH 150 billion in taxes, and $6 billion in foreign exchange earnings
- Since July 13, sea ports have been blocked; the rail freight tariff for pig iron rose from $30 to $68 per ton
- In 9 months of 2026, the budget undercollected ~UAH 49.5 billion in taxes; losses could reach UAH 70–100 billion by year-end

The Ukrainian government is preparing a resolution that grants two categories of cargo priority in the organization of transportation by rail, in sea ports, and at border crossings: fuel and vegetable oil. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing a letter from the Joint Trade Union Organization Ukrmetallurgprom (UMP) addressed to Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky, the industry lobby believes that under such circumstances, similar preferences should also be granted to ferrous metallurgy products. UMP President Oleksandr Kalenkov explicitly stated that the inclusion of oil in the list of priority cargo while omitting metallurgy "frankly surprised" him.

### What the Draft Resolution Envisages

According to UMP, the draft Cabinet of Ministers resolution secures for fuel and vegetable oil the preferential right to approve rail transport, berth ships, and pass through border stations. Kalenkov acknowledges that the industry has no questions regarding fuel: "Without it, business does not work, and the country will not survive the winter." However, according to him, it was the second item on the list—vegetable oil—that caused bewilderment, because when setting priorities based on added value and foreign exchange earnings, metallurgy should objectively be present in this list.

### Industry Contribution: 5.5% of GDP, UAH 150 Billion in Taxes, and $6 Billion in Currency

In 2025, the mining and metals complex accounted for about 5.5% of Ukraine's GDP, UAH 150 billion in tax revenues, and $6 billion in foreign exchange earnings, UMP emphasizes. Over five years, the largest metallurgical enterprises paid taxes and fees totaling more than UAH 200 billion ($6.2 billion). At the end of 2024, the payment of taxes and fees by four metallurgical companies amounted to 1.6% of revenues to budgets of all levels. At the same time, according to Kalenkov's estimate, in 2026 the industry ended the year with a net loss of about UAH 28 billion: the situation was worsened by Russian attacks and systemic logistics problems.

### Logistics Crisis: Ports Blocked, Tariffs Doubled

Since July 13, Ukraine's sea ports have effectively been blocked, resulting in Western rail crossings and limited capacities of Danube ports becoming the main export routes. Simultaneously, transportation costs surged: according to the association, railway delivery of pig iron and raw materials for its production rose from $30 to $68 per ton of finished products. Kalenkov notes that Ukrainian steel is competitive on the European market primarily due to speed—delivery takes days and weeks, whereas Asian competitors operate on a scale of months. "Every day in the queue at the border turns into lost currency for the state," he formulates.

### What Exactly UMP is Asking For and the Budgetary Consequences

In the appeal to the Prime Minister, metallurgists ask to grant ferrous metallurgy products priority in approving rail shipments to ports and border stations, as well as in determining the priority of berthing ships for loading export cargo. Kalenkov emphasizes that under current conditions, access to rail and port logistics has become a matter of preserving exports and production itself for the industry. The budgetary consequences of the delays are already palpable: in the first nine months of 2026, the Ukrainian budget undercollected about UAH 49.5 billion in taxes. According to estimates, losses could grow to UAH 70 billion by the end of the year, and under a pessimistic scenario—up to UAH 100 billion.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Если Кабмин дал маслу льготы в перевозках УЗ, такой же приоритет должен быть и у металлопродукции, - УМП](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kshcho-kabmin-dav-oliyi-pilgi-perevezennyah-1792421626.html) - Primary source: UMP letter to Koretsky, Kalenkov's quotes, data on GDP, taxes, foreign exchange earnings, tariffs, budget losses. All figures and statements are taken from this material.

## FAQ

### What exactly is the government preparing regarding priority cargo?

The Cabinet is preparing a resolution that secures priority for fuel and vegetable oil in approving rail transport, in ports, and at border crossings. Metallurgy is not yet included in this list.

### Why does UMP believe metallurgy should receive the same priority?

According to UMP President Oleksandr Kalenkov, if the state sets priorities based on added value and foreign exchange earnings, metallurgy must be on the list: in 2025, the complex provided 5.5% of GDP, UAH 150 billion in taxes, and $6 billion in foreign exchange earnings.

### What logistical problems has the industry faced since July 2026?

Since July 13, sea ports have been effectively blocked; Western rail crossings and Danube ports have become the main export routes. Railway delivery of pig iron and raw materials has risen in price from $30 to $68 per ton of finished products.

### What are the budgetary consequences of stopping metallurgy?

In the first nine months of 2026, the budget undercollected about UAH 49.5 billion in taxes. By the end of the year, losses could grow to UAH 70 billion, and under a pessimistic scenario—up to 100 billion.