20 Years Of U.S. Trade With Russia

Sanctions against Russia are once more on the congressional agenda. "U.S. policymakers are debating the use of economic sanctions in U.S. foreign policy toward Russia, including whether sanctions should be kept in place or further tightened," as a report by the Congressional Research Service sums up the ongoing situation. 

The first sanctions were implemented under previous U.S. President Barack Obama in the wake of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Russia, for violating the territorial integrity of neighboring Ukraine. So far, four executive orders are in place regulating this punitive action. Now, a bipartisan majority in Congress seems to want to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. 

As our infographic shows, the United States imports more goods from Russia than it exports, according to data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. After the financial crisis, gaining momentum in 2008, imports took a dent but recovered until peaking in 2011, when they started falling rapidly, well before the first sanctions were imposed. Exports gained ground until peaking in 2013.