US Exporters: Russian Orders Drying Up as Tensions Rise

Anticipating Sanctions, Companies Look Elsewhere for Trade

Though the actual tit-for-tat sanctions between the US and Russia haven’t really gotten to the level of restricting trade on either side. That doesn’t mean business is flowing as usual, however.

US exporters say that they’ve seen a dramatic drop-off in orders from Russian companies in the past few weeks. Some are cutting back on orders, and some are halting them outright.

US trade with Russia isn’t exactly huge to begin with, only about 0.5% of total US exports, but they’ve been one of the fastest growing markets in recent years, and one that might be drying up.

Some companies are writing it off as “anti-American sentient,” though it might also be a case of the companies shifting to trading partners that are less likely to be abruptly cut off as the sanctions pick up the pace. Either way, US-Russian trade is going to continue to go through a rough patch along with the rest of US-Russian relations.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.