EU Posts Rare Trade Surplus with Russia
This outcome comes after a steep decline in trade between the two sides since 2022, when the EU introduced multiple rounds of sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war. These measures mainly targeted energy exports but also extended to iron, steel, and coal.
It is the first time the bloc has recorded back-to-back quarterly trade surpluses with Russia since Eurostat began keeping records in 2002. Data shows EU exports to Russia have dropped 61%, while imports from Russia have plunged 89% during this period. Overall trade in the first nine months of 2025 fell 12.9% year-on-year to €43.9 billion ($47.3 billion), with imports valued at €21.7 billion ($23.4 billion) and exports at €22.2 billion ($23.9 billion).
A sectoral breakdown indicates Russia’s share of EU imports continued to shrink across multiple industries in the third quarter. Regarding natural gas, Russia’s share fell to 15.1%, down from 39% four years earlier. Despite this sharp decline, Russia still ranked as the EU’s second-largest gas supplier.
Since 2022, most EU member states have stopped direct purchases of Russian oil and gas. The bloc aims to completely phase out Russian energy imports by 2027, replacing much of the cheaper supply with costlier American fuel. The US share of EU gas imports has surged to 56%, up from 24% in just four years. In July, Brussels finalized an agreement with Washington to substitute Russian oil and gas with American energy.
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