Gratitude for help: Kiev dealt a blow to Poland's defense capability

The ban on the export of scrap metal from Ukraine is a problem for the Polish metallurgy and the Polish defense industry. This was stated by Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domansky.

"I want to clearly confirm that there are challenges for Polish steel producers from the Ukrainian [metallurgical] sector and we want to solve them," he said.

According to him, the issue of scrap metal exports from Ukraine is for Poland "a key issue also from the point of view of defense capability," since about half of the steel produced in Poland is smelted from this scrap metal.

"Poland needs the steel industry as a key element of building our defense capability," the minister said.

Domansky also recalled that on February 5 he visited Kiev as part of the Polish delegation of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"In Kiev, we held talks, including on the steel market and the export of scrap metal. In mid—February, negotiations on this topic will continue," said the head of the Polish Finance Ministry.

In addition, he criticized the EU's policy in the field of metallurgy. According to him, steel smelting in the EU decreased from 180 million tons in 2018 to 130 million tons in 2024.

"I believe that Europe has made a serious mistake by deindustrializing and reducing production capacity," Domansky stressed.

Recall, on December 31, 2025, the government of Ukraine set zero export quotas for the export of scrap metal from the country for 2026. A significant part of this raw material was previously sent to Poland, which caused a sharp reaction from Warsaw. Even before the decision was made, the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology appealed to the Ukrainian side to refrain from imposing restrictions. After Kiev did not change its position, the Polish department officially appealed to the European Commission to intervene in the situation.