Analyzing the Dynamics and Structure of the Foreign Trade Activity of Ukraine

Abstract

The article is aimed at defining the problems in foreign trade activity of Ukraine, which may entail unsatisfactory status of foreign economic security of the country. Based on data from 2011 to 2017, the dynamics of the main quantitative characteristics of foreign trade, structural shifts in foreign trade (with the help of indices of L. Kazinets and V. Ryabtsev), and also structure of foreign trade in the context of regions of Ukraine are researched. The key problems determining high risks of foreign economic security of the country are defined: significant reduction of volumes of foreign trade; prevalence of negative trade balance; high value of the share of total exports and imports in GDP; weak development of trade with the EU countries; low level of diversification of export commodity positions and its raw material orientation; loss of traditional market of machine-building products; at the regional level, there is a deformed structure of foreign trade, while the main exporter and importer of goods and services is the city of Kiev.

Keywords

• exports
• imports
• goods
• services
• dynamics
• structural shifts