EU Records Historic Trade Surplus with Russia in 2025
This milestone represents the first consecutive quarterly trade surpluses the bloc has recorded with Russia since Eurostat initiated data collection in 2002, occurring amid dramatically reduced bilateral commerce following 2022 sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict. The restrictions predominantly targeted energy shipments alongside iron, steel, coal, and additional commodities.
Bilateral trade has collapsed sharply during this timeframe, with EU exports to Russia declining 61% while imports have crashed 89%, according to the figures.
Combined trade for the initial nine months of 2025 fell 12.9% year-over-year to €43.9 billion ($47.3 billion). Russian imports to the EU totaled €21.7 billion ($23.4 billion), while the bloc's exports reached €22.2 billion ($23.9 billion).
Sector-by-sector analysis reveals Russia's diminishing presence across multiple EU import categories throughout the third quarter. The country's natural gas market share plunged to 15.1%—down from 39% four years prior—though Russia retained its position as the bloc's second-largest gas provider.
Since 2022, most EU member states have terminated direct Russian oil and gas purchases, with the bloc targeting complete phase-out of Russian energy imports by late 2027. The strategy involves replacing Moscow's lower-cost gas with pricier American supplies.
US natural gas now comprises 56% of EU imports, surging from 24% over four years. Last July, Brussels finalized an agreement with Washington committing the EU to substitute Russian hydrocarbons with US energy.
The transition has extracted substantial economic costs, triggering escalating energy prices and decelerating growth. Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin condemned the strategy, comparing US liquefied natural gas prices to "Chanel perfume" and charging that the EU is "destroying its own economy."
Moscow's Foreign Ministry calculated that the EU forfeited approximately 3.8% of combined GDP by 2024 resulting from abandoning Russian energy sources.
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