The European Union is no longer an important trading partner for Russia, and trade between the two parties continues to decline, Kirill Logvinov, the acting head of the Russian mission to the EU, told RIA Novosti.
"It is clear that the European Union has ceased to be an important trading partner for Russia. Brussels has taken the path of economic war, introducing endless sanctions against our country, trying to interfere in Moscow’s economic relations with third countries," Logvinov said.
He noted that, according to Eurostat data, trade between the EU and Russia continued to decline in 2023, and Russia dropped from fifth to tenth place in the list of leading EU trading partners.
"Over the eleven months of 2023, Russia’s trade with the EU decreased by 66.1% compared to the same period in 2022 – from 243.5 billion euros [$262.8 billion] to 82.5 billion euros," Logvinov said.
At the same time, imports of Russian goods to the EU amounted to 46.9 billion euros, a decrease of 75.6%, while exports of goods from the EU to Russia decreased by 30.3% to 35.6 billion euros, the diplomat added.