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What is the current state of EU–Russia trade? Main export and import flows in 2025

Sat, Aug 30, 2025, 12:01 AM 4 min read

EU trade with Russia has fallen sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU introduced many import and export restrictions, leading to a 61% fall in exports to Russia and an 89% fall in imports from Russia between the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2025.

According to Euronews research based on Eurostat data, trade in the second quarter of 2025 dropped to the lowest level since 2002, when records began. In the same quarter, the EU also recorded its first trade surplus with Russia in more than 20 years.

So, what are the main export and import flows in 2025? How has trade between the EU and Russia changed since the invasion of Ukraine? And how important is trade with Russia for the EU?

According to Eurostat, in the second quarter of 2025 imports from Russia fell, while exports to Russia rose compared with the previous quarter. As a result, the EU’s trade balance with Russia, which had always shown a deficit, turned into a small surplus of €0.5 billion. Imports were worth €7 billion, while exports to Russia reached €7.5 billion, bringing total trade to €14.5 billion.

This represents an 82% drop in trade volume compared with the first quarter of 2022, when the Russian invasion began and trade stood at €81.9 billion. That quarter marked the third-highest level since records began in 2002, with the peak reached in the first quarter of 2013 at €82.9 billion.

The EU, together with the G7 countries and other like-minded partners, stopped treating Russia as 'a Most-Favoured-Nation' and implemented a fourth package of sanctions on 15 March 2022. This removed key trade benefits that Russia enjoyed as a World Trade Organization (WTO) member. Instead of raising import tariffs, the EU chose to act through sanctions, including bans and restrictions on both imports and exports of certain goods.

Until 24 February 2022, when it invaded Ukraine, Russia was one of the EU’s main trading partners. Since then, its role has diminished dramatically, as shown by the decline in its share of extra-EU trade rather than nominal figures alone.

Extra-EU trade refers to transactions with all countries outside the EU.

Russia’s share of extra-EU exports fell from 3.2% in the first quarter of 2022 to 1.2% in the second quarter of 2025. Over the same period, its share of extra-EU imports dropped from 9.3% to just 1.1%. This an 88% decline.

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