{
  "id": 9370642,
  "title": "Economy Ministry considers cutting Ukraine's 2026 GDP growth forecast to 0.5%",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/economy-ministry-considers-cutting-ukraines-2026-gdp-growth-forecast",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-23T16:15:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Interfax-Ukraine",
    "slug": "interfax-ukraine",
    "url": "https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1208944.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ukraine's economy ministry is contemplating a significant reduction in the country's 2026 GDP growth forecast, potentially down to 0.5%, according to Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko. This dire projection is being considered due to the ongoing Russian shelling, which is expected to further dampen economic growth. At the Forbes Ukraine Economic Resilience Forum in Kyiv, Kravchenko highlighted the ministry's ongoing review of potential scenarios, noting that the forecast has already been revised downward from 2.4% at the beginning of the year to the current 1.6%. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, GDP contracted by 0.6%, marking the first decline since 2023. Despite some optimism in the second half of the year, Kravchenko warned that challenges such as export blockages and logistical disruptions caused by Russian shelling are putting immense pressure on businesses. The minister emphasized that these issues are expected to worsen, particularly in the second half of the year. The National Bank of Ukraine recently adjusted its GDP growth estimate for the year to 1.1-1.2%, down from the previous forecast of 1.8%, attributing the reduction to disruptions in industry, trade, and a deteriorating business climate. The government's draft state budget for 2027, based on a pessimistic GDP growth scenario of 1.3%, also factors in a 15% deficit of GDP.",
  "summary": "Ukraine's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year will be lower than the current forecast of 1.6%, due to intensified Russian shelling; a likely scenario in which it will amount to about 0.5% is being considered, Minister of Economy and Environment Oleksandr Kravchenko said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}