News about International trade

“Romanian exporters can transport cherries by truck (from the Republic of Moldova, ed. LP) to Belarus and Russia, but our producers cannot transport (fruit to these countries, ed. LP) directly. That’s the paradox,” notes Sergiu Ștefanco, a member of the Moldovan Parliament from the “Democracy at Home” party, in a short video posted on Facebook.

In June 2026, the average value of the FAO Food Price Index stood at 130.3 points, down 0.4 points (0.3%) from May. On average, the index for the five food commodity groups tracked remained stable over the past month, as higher global prices for vegetable oils and meat were offset by lower prices for cereals, dairy products, and sugar.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is ready to cooperate with U.S. President Donald Trump to normalize relations between the two countries. He expressed this intention in a message congratulating the U.S. president on Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in Washington on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, declaring that “the American Dream is back.” In his speech, he spoke about American exceptionalism and U.S. foreign policy successes, and once again criticized his political opponents.

Slovakia will not participate in providing financial assistance to Ukraine for the purpose of prolonging the military conflict. The country’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, made this statement in an address to his fellow citizens on social media ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara.

One of Georgia’s largest industrial projects—the oil refinery in Kulevi—will completely cease processing Russian crude oil starting in August–September 2026. This was announced by Black Sea Petroleum, the company that operates the facility.

As more and more farmers join the mass harvest, Moldova’s fruit and vegetable market is entering a period of the first (summer) drop in prices for new potatoes.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan intends to restrict the import of apples into the country. The relevant order has been submitted for public comment. According to the draft, from August 1 through December 31, 2026, the import of apples into Kazakhstan by road, rail, and water is planned to be banned.

On U.S. Independence Day, the American leader decided to make a scathing remark directed at his closest allies.

In 2025, Latvia’s trade with Russia accounted for 2.6% of the country’s total foreign trade. The Ministry of Economy reported this while commenting on Russia’s decision to temporarily close a number of railway border crossings on the borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, effective July 1.

The Turkish government has decided to introduce a tariff quota on imports of sunflower seeds and unrefined sunflower oil. The document provides for preferential terms for importing raw materials to support the domestic processing industry and ensure a stable supply of vegetable oil to the domestic market.

When World War II began in 1939, Canada had virtually no military-industrial base to speak of. But over the next six years, Canadian factories produced thousands of aircraft, hundreds of naval vessels, and more than 800,000 pieces of armored vehicles. A country with a population of just 11 million people transformed into a powerful military-industrial center.

The Danish shipyard Fayard remains the last facility in the European Union that continues to service specialized Arc7 ice-class gas carriers used to transport Russian liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG project.

Moldova’s leadership intends to finally recognize the Chinese market as strategically important for the country and to actively increase exports of domestic products to China.

China is preparing a major overhaul of its e-commerce law. The new regulations will affect not only marketplaces and online stores, but also the entire platform economy—from delivery services to companies that operate both online and offline.

Global wheat prices fell by 4.4% in June due to active harvesting and favorable supply prospects for this commodity in the Black Sea region. This is discussed in the June report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Parliament building of the Republic of Moldova was illuminated in the colors of the United States flag as a sign of friendship and cooperation with the U.S. This symbolic gesture was timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

A few days before the NATO summit in Ankara, the German chancellor and the leaders of the Baltic states agreed in Berlin to strengthen deterrence against Russia, increase defense spending, and expand aid to Ukraine.

Turkey will implement updated phytosanitary control regulations for wheat imports effective August 5, 2026. Under the new requirements, four fungal pathogens will be classified as prohibited for import with imported products. Their presence or absence will be determined based on the results of laboratory analysis.

NATO countries were unable to agree on a draft joint statement for the Ankara summit, which will take place on July 7–8. The reason was disagreements among the allies over Ukraine and military infrastructure in Eastern Europe.