Leading export partners of Russia 2023, by value

Russia's leading five export partners in 2023 were China, India, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Brazil. The value of total exports from Russia to its major trade partner — China — exceeded 128 billion U.S. dollars. 

Trade between Russia and China

China was not only the leading export destination of Russian commodities, but also the major import partner of the country. Prior to 2018, the value of Russian imports from China prevailed the Russian exports’ worth to the country. It was in 2018 when for the first time, the trade balance of Russia with China turned positive and amounted to about 3.8 billion U.S. dollars. Russia's primary export goods, mineral and energy products, were also the most imported commodities by China from the country.

Russian trade with Europe

Trade flows between Russia and the EU have been in decline over the past years. In 2023, the EU export value to Russia exceeded 38 billion U.S. dollars — roughly 12 billion U.S. dollars below the EU imports’ worth from Russia in that year. Germany was the major importer of Russian goods in the region.