Ukrainian exports to the European Union went up 12% in 2014, "if one doesn't take account of last December and January, which were poor months," said the head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Jan Tombinski.

Though the EU-Ukraine free trade treaty takes effect on January 1, 2016, the Union has already lifted its import duties for Ukrainian goods.

"Despite all the economic difficulties we can see slow but important growth of exports from Ukraine to the EU," Tombinski told Forbes Ukraine. He said exports to all other destinations had suffered "a major drop," however.