Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted through a law charging value added tax (VAT) on parcels from abroad by 252 votes on 15 October, and a customs law by 2491. Both cleared the 226 votes a law needs in the 450-seat chamber. The parliament listed them among the week's European integration laws, alongside the minority-language schooling law that cleared Hungary's veto. The votes come as deputies weigh the 2027 draft budget the government sent them in September.
17OCT
Rada votes VAT on foreign parcels
1 min read
17:43UTC
Ukraine's parliament voted on 15 October to charge value added tax on parcels from abroad, by 252 votes, and passed a customs law by 249.
ConflictAssessed
Key takeaway
Ukraine will tax parcels from abroad, one of a batch of EU-alignment laws passed this week.
Deep Analysis
In plain English
Ukraine's parliament passed a law on 15 October that adds sales tax to parcels people order from abroad, such as goods from foreign online shops. The government needs the money because the war has left a big hole in its budget. The European Union also expects Ukraine to tax imports the same way EU countries do.
First Reported In
Update #29 · Trump waives his own 500% Russia tariffs
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine· 17 Oct 2026
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Bulgarian government
Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, said the sinking of HS Dignity "benefits the Russian Federation" while saying Bulgaria lacked solid evidence to accuse anyone, and Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov asked NATO for air defence on 16 October. The request comes from a government that stopped state military aid to Ukraine in June.
Radoslaw Sikorski
Poland's foreign minister challenged Elon Musk on X after SpaceX capped Ukraine's Starshield terminals on 14 October. Poland pays about $50m a year for Ukraine's Starlink subscriptions, so Warsaw speaks as the paying customer as well as the ally.
Andy Burnham
Burnham fast-tracked £10m of a £45m air-defence missile delivery when Zelenskyy visited London on 14 October, and his ministers are lobbying allies to ban maritime services for Russian liquefied natural gas. The measure targets insurers and shipowners, many of them in London, rather than the gas itself.
Ministry of External Affairs (India)
India's foreign ministry said after the 16 September House vote that New Delhi would take all necessary measures to protect its trade.
European Council
EU leaders on 15-16 October rejected a US idea to hand Washington the roughly €200bn of frozen Russian assets held in Europe, and Kaja Kallas said the decision belongs to Europeans. The same summit put off a decision on financing Ukraine, saying leaders "will revert to the issue in a timely manner".
Donald Trump
Trump signed the 16 October order that sets the Graham Act's duties and waives them under section 115(a), with a certification sent to Congress. He says the United States has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, and on 11 October he said both sides had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.