New data released by the Census Bureau on Thursday revealed that despite the numerous economic sanctions the United States has imposed on Russia, US imports of goods from Russia have been increasing.
According to the report, May saw a surge in the import of Russian goods, with the total amounting to $504 million.
That would more than double April’s imports, when the amount of goods imported from Russia amounted to $215.6 million.
In February, US imports of goods hit a high for 2023 of $642.8 million.
At the same time, Russian enthusiasm for the importing of US goods has declined. US exports to Russia for the month of May came in at $60 million, down from $65.2 million in April and $66.4 million in March, according to the data. January exports to Russia amounted to $44.6 million.
Following the onset of the military conflict in Ukraine, Washington, along with allies from the EU and the G7 imposed several sanctions packages on Russia designed to impact its economy and its ability to trade on the international market. The sanctions banned the import of some Russian products to the US, particularly targeting Russian energy exports for the most part, although they also restricted alcohol, seafood products, and non-industrial diamonds, among other items.
