Ukraine has agreed a protocol on duty-free supplies of steel pipes to Russia amounting to 120,000 mt in the first half of 2013, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
The protocol amends the agreement on the regulation of supplies of some types of steel pipes from Ukraine to Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
In addition, in the first half of the current year, 35,000 mt of Ukrainian steel pipes may be supplied duty free to Belarus and 16,000 mt of Ukrainian steel pipes may be supplied duty free to Kazakhstan.
The protocol was signed on December 31, 2012. The protocol is temporarily in effect in Russia from January 16, 2013.
At the end of December 2011, Ukraine and the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed an agreement on the duty-free supply of 264,000 mt of Ukrainian pipes in total in January-June 2012. In particular, 72,000 mt of pipes were to be supplied to Belarus, 42,000 mt to Kazakhstan, and 150,000 mt to Russia. Subsequently, agreements to retain the same volumes of supplies to Russia were reached for the second half of the year.