Few countries have climbed the ranking of national exports since pre-pandemic like Ukraine, which went from 75th position in 2019 to 36th in 2025 and drones made a strong contribution. This article is part of the Peripheral Vision section.
Four years of war. And there is no prospect of it ending anytime soon. Ukraine resists as best it can, with its own efforts, international aid, but also by purchasing military or dual-use material from other countries. This is the case of Portugal, which has intensified the sale of drones to that country every year since the start of the war. It won’t stop here, considering that the two countries have increasingly closer relations, having signed an agreement in December to jointly produce underwater drones.
The sale of this equipment to Ukraine started with four million euros in 2022, increased to 23 million in 2023 and took a new leap to 33 million in 2024, with Tekever becoming the largest exporter to that country. In 2025, however, sales of these devices soared, reaching R$87.3 million.
The evolution was so fast that the sale of drones to Ukraine, alone, already yields more to Portugal than all sales to Russia, which has continually lost importance: it fell a total of 16 positions in the ranking of Portuguese goods exports since 2019, from 34th to 50th. Among the 100 most important destinations, only Cuba (20 positions) and Syria (19 positions) had greater drops.
It is still noteworthy that — even with all the European bans on several goods — Russia remains in the top 50 in national exports, with 83.1 million euros. The 18% drop last year meant that this destination dropped just four places in the ranking of Portugal’s biggest customers. The 50th position is the same as it will be in 2022 and 2023.
Ukraine, considering the total purchases made from Portuguese companies, made an additional jump of 110%, with the help of drones. Before the war, exports to Ukraine this century were, as a rule, five to 10 times smaller than exports to Russia. In 2023 and 2024, however, they already represented around 90% and in 2025 there was even an increase, now worth more than double.
Few countries have climbed the ranking of national exports since pre-pandemic like Ukraine, which went from 75th position in 2019 to 36th, an increase of 39 positions in just seven years. Among the countries that are currently in the top 100, only Uzbekistan’s 52 positions are better — but on a very different scale, considering that Portugal exported 13.5 million in 2025 (compared to 191.3 million for Ukraine).
Among the top 100 national exports, Ukraine is one of the few destinations that, simultaneously, grew by two or three digits (in this case, 110% in one year), rose several places in the ranking of Portugal’s customers and reached the maximum value in the last 20 years.
In fact, respecting all these criteria, we also highlight Iceland, the only country in the world that has risen every year in the ranking of Portuguese exports since 2019, pre-pandemic. Last year there were 22 steps up to 86th place, although that means an increase of just 17.7 million.
Strong falls in imports
On the other hand, in terms of imports, there was an abrupt drop in the relationship with Russia compared to 2021 (85% reduction). Every year it has fallen a little more since the war began, and last year it reduced by 22%. There are practically gas and cod left.
In Ukraine, in turn, the level of imports in 2024 was even slightly higher than in 2021 (after having reached the best record in 2023). And in these two years, for the first time in more than two decades, imports from Ukraine surpassed those from Russia. However, in 2025, Portuguese companies reduced purchases and the drop was violent, 63%, to 112 million.
