Trade News & Analysis

Trade

Russia’s total trade reached about US$745 billion during 2025, also showcasing a significant, albeit shifting, trade surplus of about US$120 billion. In this section we cover all news concerning Russian trade developments, with Russian exporters increasingly reaching out into new markets on a global basis as it pivots away from the West. This is the definitive source on Russian trade. Get the latest data, analysis, and news on Russia’s import/export activities, trade agreements, and increasing commercial partnerships with the Global South.

Featured January 25, 2026

Harbin Hosts First China-Russia Regional Mayors Round Table

China’s Harbin city, close to the Russian border in its northerly Heilongjiang Province, has hosted the first meeting of Chinese and Russian city mayors. The theme was “Promoting innovative urban development through ice and snow culture.” The meeting was designed to serve as a multi-level and broad-aspect platform for contacts and consultations between different cities […]

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Featured January 25, 2026

Russia’s FESCO Launches Vladivostok – Qinzhou Direct Shipping Service

Russia’s FESCO Transportation Group has expanded its maritime service connecting Vladivostok with ports in south China, with Qinzhou being added to the available routes. This will provide additional opportunities for the delivery of goods to and from Vladivostok and Qinzhou, which is about 358 nautical miles east of Hong Kong. Qinzhou is the main port […]

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January 25, 2026

What Did Davos 2026 Actually Achieve?

This past week, the small Swiss resort of Davos yet again became the temporary capital of a self-appointed global elite. Under the banner of the World Economic Forum (WEF), political leaders, multinational CEOs, financial institutions, and technology giants gathered behind closed doors to discuss the global economic prosperity. Nearly 65 heads of state and government […]

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January 25, 2026

Russia, Palestine Discussions In Moscow, and Analysis

President Putin has met with Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine, in Moscow, to discuss developments in Palestine as well as the larger Middle East picture. Their agenda included the current state and future prospects of bilateral ties in trade and the economy and cultural and humanitarian affairs, as well as the situation in the Middle East, emphasising the state of affairs in the Gaza Strip.

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January 23, 2026

Russia’s Differing Strategic Trade Goals With Foreign Trade, China & India

The goals of Russia’s trade and economic partnerships differ depending on the country; for example, with China it is increasing non-resource, non-energy exports, and with India it is balancing trade, according to government materials for a strategic session on the development of foreign economic activity. Documents state that “the central element of Russia’s foreign economic […]

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January 23, 2026

Russia-Azerbaijan Bilateral Trade Up 2.5% In 2025

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to US$4.92 billion in 2025, up 2.5% compared to the previous year, the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee (SCC) has stated. Trade operations with Russia accounted for 9.96% of the country’s total foreign trade turnover, the SCC said. Russia is Azerbaijan’s third largest foreign trade partner after Italy and […]

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January 22, 2026

Lavrov Speech: Russia’s Strategic Economic Diplomacy in 2026

On Tuesday, January 20, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov convened his traditional annual press conference in Moscow to review the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2025 and set out the foreign policy and economic agenda for 2026. At this event—attended by hundreds of journalists—Lavrov emphasized that the diplomatic focus is no longer solely about geopolitical […]

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January 22, 2026

St. Petersburg’s SPIMEX Aims For Competition With The London Metals Exchange

The St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) is preparing for trading in platinum bullion, SPIMEX president Igor Artemyev has stated, and is collaborating with Norilsk Nickel on the matter. The Russian Ministry of Finance also has a specific interest in organizing the trading, though legislation will be required to permit such trade. Artemyev said, “We […]

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January 21, 2026

The Arctic: Structural Power, Strategic Geography, and the Real Balance of Military Forces in the High North

For much of the post-Cold War period, the Arctic existed outside the main currents of global geopolitics. Covered by ice, distant from population centers, and governed by cooperative mechanisms, the High North was widely perceived as a region immune to confrontation. This assumption has gradually dissolved. Climate transformation, technological adaptation, and global power redistribution have […]

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January 21, 2026

Moldova Launches Procedures To Leave The Commonwealth Of Independent States

Moldova has launched the procedure for officially withdrawing from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi has said. The CIS was formed in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR to promote cooperation regarding economic, political, and security issues among the former Soviet republics. It currently includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, […]

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January 21, 2026

Russian Global Dairy Exports Up 13%

Russia exported dairy products worth more than US$500 million in 2025, with supplies going to almost 100 countries worldwide, the head of the Agroexport federal center Ilya Ilyushin, said at the third forum of dairy industry leaders in Moscow on Tuesday (January 20). The final sales volumes are likely to be higher, as the December […]

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