Despite numerous packages of sanctions, the European Union (EU) imported goods from Russia worth EUR 8.7 billion in the first quarter of this year, reports the Bild newspaper, citing data from the Institute for German Economics in Cologne (IW).
In the first quarter of 2021, this figure was EUR 30.6 billion, according to the publication, and EUR 63 billion for the same period in 2022. “This is due to the sharp rise in oil and gas prices“, emphasized IW foreign trade expert Samina Sultan. According to Bild, most EU countries no longer import fossil fuels from Russia, with the exception of Hungary, Slovakia and to some extent France and Spain.
According to the Institute for German Economics, natural gas imports into the European Union in the first quarter of 2025 amounted to EUR 4.4 billion. The value of oil purchases reached EUR 1.4 billion, which is almost 93% lower than before the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. However, gas and oil remain among the five most imported goods from Russia, the newspaper notes. Fertilizers (EUR 549.95 million), steel and iron (EUR 725.84 million) and nickel (EUR 261.09 million) remain among the most popular items.
Trade continues to operate in the opposite direction. "However, the EU imports slightly more than it exports," Sultan said. In the first quarter of 2025, goods worth EUR 7.9 billion were exported to Russia, mainly machinery and pharmaceuticals. For the same period in 2021, this figure was EUR 21.3 billion.
In 2024, Germany imported goods worth EUR 1.8 billion from Russia. Export revenues amounted to EUR 7.6 billion.