--- title: "Zelenskyy signs law on free trade zone with Turkey: agreement details and timelines" description: "Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on the free trade zone with Turkey. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ€πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡· The agreement, prepared for 15 years, eliminates duties on 93.4% of Ukrainian goods and will enter into force after the exchange of ratification instruments. πŸ“‰" date: 2026-07-31T18:46:23.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelenskyy-signs-law-on-fta-with-turkey tags: [zelensky, turkey, ukraine, fta, trade-agreement] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Zelenskyy signs law on free trade zone with Turkey: agreement details and timelines ![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his desk in the office, signing the law on the free trade zone with Turkey](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/31/zelenskiy-podpisal-zakon-o-zst-s-turtsiey/zelenskiy-podpisal-zakon-o-zst-s-turtsiey-1.webp) On July 31, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially signed the law ratifying the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Turkey. This step marked the final stage of the domestic procedure in Kyiv, paving the way for full-fledged economic partnership between the two countries. The document, which was worked on for over 15 years, aims to reboot trade relations amidst a complex geopolitical situation. ### Chronology and ratification procedure The history of the agreement spans years of negotiations. Initially, the document was signed by the leaders of the countries on February 3, 2022, in Kyiv, but the ratification process was delayed due to the full-scale invasion by Russia. Turkey completed its part of the ratification on August 2, 2024. On the Ukrainian side, the parliament supported bill No. 0340 on July 14, 2026, with the votes of 236 deputies. The signature of the head of state, which appeared in the law card on the Verkhovna Rada website, marked the completion of the legislative stage. According to official data, the agreement will not enter into force immediately. It will come into effect on the first day of the second month after the foreign ministries of both countries complete legal formalities and exchange ratification instruments. Experts estimate that the first trade preferences could start working as early as autumn of this year. ### Economic conditions and tariffs The agreement lays the foundation for creating a duty-free zone in accordance with World Trade Organization (WTO) standards. Key provisions of the document include: - **Abolition of duties:** Turkey eliminates duties on 93.4% of Ukrainian industrial and agricultural goods. Ukraine eliminates duties for 56% of Turkish goods. - **Transitional periods:** Transitional periods lasting from 3 to 5 years are provided for sensitive sectors of the economy. - **Simplified logistics:** The document liberalizes companies' access to service markets and simplifies customs procedures. ### Protective mechanisms and Pan-Euro-Med convention During the final consultations, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine coordinated special protective measures with the Turkish side. This was necessary to adapt to changed economic realities. In particular, Ukraine retained duties on used cars and established transitional periods for the light industry and textile production. These measures are aimed at protecting domestic producers from a sudden influx of cheap imports. An important element of the agreement was the Pan-Euro-Med Convention. It allows Ukrainian manufacturers to use Turkish raw materials and components to create finished products while maintaining preferential origin status. This significantly simplifies the export of goods to European Union countries.