Trump's 25% Steel Tariff Hurts Interpipe, U.S. Customers With Pipe Shortage

Ukrainian industrial group Interpipe is expressing alarm over former US President Donald Trump's reinstatement of a 25% duty on steel imports. The move affects not only the company but also American consumers amid a shortage of pipes on the domestic market.

“Our threaded connections are in high demand in the US market. Our R&D team is currently finalizing the development of a new product specifically tailored to the needs of our growing customer base in this country. Therefore, these duties are certainly a negative for us,” said Denis Morozov, First Deputy CEO of Interpipe, during Business Wisdom Summit 2025.

He said the US tariffs were threatening production at Interpipe Niko Tube in Nikopol, a city officially declared a war zone and subject to daily shelling by Russian troops. “We are caught between a rock and a hard place – on one side, relentless shelling from the Russians, on the other, Trump's tariffs,” he said.

“Nevertheless, our employees continue to work and produce goods, including for the US and EU markets. The resilience of Ukrainians is truly impressive,” Morozov added.

He emphasized that despite the threat of tariffs and quotas, Interpipe still sees opportunities to maintain and increase its market share in the US and Europe. First, the company's focus on R&D plays a key role: the development, development and production of new types of pipe products. Over three years of duty-free trade with the EU, Interpipe has invested heavily and developed about 250 new product names.

“Interpipe must continue to create and offer products that our competitors do not produce,” he added.

Secondly, the company intends to continue its investments. “For example, we built a new $40 million heat treatment plant in Nikopol, which allows us to offer new products with higher added value to our American customers,” Morozov said.

Interpipe is a Ukrainian industrial company specializing in the production of steel pipes and railway products. Its products are distributed in more than 50 countries through a network of sales offices in key markets in the Middle East, North America and Europe. In 2024, the company transferred UAH 5.5 billion in taxes to all levels of the Ukrainian budget.

The ultimate owner of Interpipe Limited is Ukrainian entrepreneur and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk and his family.