Slovenia and Ukraine

1. Recognition of the Independence of Ukraine: December 11, 1991.

2. Establishment of diplomatic relations: March 10, 1992.

3. Political dialogue:

Recent contacts of the presidents:

March 31, 2023 – the meeting of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Robert Golob as part of his visit to Ukraine.

January 9, 2023 – phone conversation between the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar.

Recent contacts of the heads of government:

March 31, 2023 – the meeting between the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and the Prime Minister of Slovenia R. Golob as part of his visit to Ukraine.

October 6, 2022 – the meeting of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia R. Golob on the sidelines of the Summit of the European Political Community in Prague. 

Recent contacts at the level of heads of parliaments:

June 2, 2023 – meeting of the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk with the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia Urška Klakočar Zupančič within the framework of the Summit of the Speakers of the Parliaments of NATO countries.

Contacts at the level of heads of foreign ministries:

February 25, 2023 – the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Tanja Fajon in New York.

4. Interparliamentary cooperation

May 17, 2023 – video conference at the level of the heads and members of the foreign policy committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.

November 2023 – election of the new members of friendship group with Ukraine from the Slovenian side (in view of the next parliamentary elections in the Republic of Slovenia, held in April, 2022). The group included 12 deputies of the National Assembly. Mr. Dean Premik has been appointed as the head of the group.

June 7, 2022 – the meeting of the Deputy Chief of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Mrs Olena Kondratiuk, with the Speaker of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič, and the members of the Committee on Foreign Policy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia.

On December 18, 2019, a parliamentary friendship group of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with the Republic of Slovenia was established. The co-chairs of the group are Mr Oleg Bondarenko and Denys Herman.

5. Existing high-level bilateral bodies

Joint Ukrainian-Slovenian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (May 12, 1997). The last meeting was held in February 2019 in Kyiv.

6. Bilateral agreements between Ukraine and Slovenia

As of 2023, the Ukrainian-Slovenian contractual legal base consists of 33 documents. 

7. Trade and economic cooperation

In 2022, the total turnover of trade in goods and services between Ukraine and Slovenia amounted to 332.3 million dollars, a decrease of 17.3%. At the same time, the export of Ukrainian goods and services to Slovenia amounted to 77.4 million dollars. USA and decreased by 24%. Import of goods and services from Slovenia to Ukraine amounted to 254.9 million dollars. USA, which is 15% less than in 2021. The balance of trade with Slovenia is negative and amounts to 177.5 million dollars. USA.

In 2022, bilateral trade amounted to 307.1 million dollars. USA and decreased by 15.4% compared to 2021, while the export of goods from Ukraine to Slovenia amounted to 59 million dollars and decreased by 21.9%, the import of Slovenian goods to Ukraine amounted to 248.1 million dollars and decreased by 13.8%. The negative balance for Ukraine during this period amounted to -189.1 million dollars.

The structure of exports of Ukrainian goods to Slovenia is dominated by supplies of: wood and wooden products – 21.8% (↑1.0%); sugar and sugar confectionery – 11.4% (↑ 535 times); electric cars – 8.2% (↓41.9%); railway locomotives – 6.8% (↓10.1%); ferrous metals – 6.1% (↓76.9%); furniture – 5.2% (↓28.1%).

The structure of import of Slovenian goods is dominated by supplies of: pharmaceutical products – 44.2% (↓10.4%); electric cars – 11.5% (↓28.7%); nuclear reactors, boilers, machines – 6.0% (↓46.3%); paper and cardboard – 5.1% (↑11%); means of land transport other than railway – 4.5% (↑ 2.8 times); various food products – 3.7% (↓48.3%).

In 2022, the volume of trade in services amounted to 25.2 million dollars and decreased by 34.5% compared to 2021, while the export of services from Ukraine to Slovenia amounted to 18.4 million dollars and decreased by 30.1%, the import of Slovenian services to Ukraine amounted to 6.8 million dollars and decreased by 44%. The positive balance for Ukraine during this period amounted to +11.6 million dollars. 

8. Cultural and humanitarian cooperation

The legal basis of Ukrainian-Slovenian cultural and humanitarian cooperation is the Protocol on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia dated January 28, 1994, the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on Cooperation in the Field of Culture, Science and Education dated May 12, 1997 (March 23, 2000).

Cooperation in the scientific and educational sphere is carried out through direct contacts, within the framework of individual programs of higher educational institutions.

9. Ukrainian community

The Ukrainian diaspora in Slovenia numbers about 2,000 people. Ukrainians living in Slovenia work as scientists, doctors, and athletes. Their social status is average or above average. The association “Karpaty”, the Ukrainian cultural and educational organization “Rukavychka”, the cultural association “Ljubljana-Kyiv” are operating in Slovenia.