The United States has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia since the conflict broke out. However, about six months after the US government imposed sanctions on Russia, more than 3,600 shipments of timber, metal, rubber and other Russian goods have arrived in the US, with an average monthly import of more than $1 billion, AP reported Friday.
The US claims to inflict a "devastating blow" on the Russian economy with sanctions, but maintains its own interests in importing from Russia in hundreds of categories across a wide range of sectors.
According to statistics, since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the US imports of Russian metals, especially aluminum products have almost never been interrupted. Since February, the United States has imported more than 900 ships worth more than 264 million tons of metal products from Russia, including corporate giants such as Boeing, which have billions of dollars in U.S. government purchases. Meanwhile, the United States announced in March that it would completely halt imports of Russian oil, gas and coal, but set a "buffer period" to allow American companies to fulfill existing orders. In the week the embargo was announced, about 1m barrels of Russian crude arrived in the US from Monroe Energy, a refiner owned by Delta Air Lines; Another 75,000 barrels of Russian tar were shipped to refineries of energy companies such as Exxon Mobil. Since then, tankers from Russian ports have continued to carry cargo to U.S. refineries. In addition, the US still encourages the import of Russian products in some sectors, and most agricultural trade between the US and Russia remains unimpeded. In the past six months, more than 100 shipments of Russian fertilizer have arrived in the US.
In response, Stephen O 'Brien, director of the State Department's Office of Sanctions Coordination, said the United States needs to ensure that sanctions have maximum effect while allowing trade to operate. At a time of high inflation in the United States, U.S. economists say a halt to Russian imports would significantly increase prices in the domestic market. The Associated Press pointed out that the move is to protect the interests of the United States, if the ban on imports of Russian products, related industries in the United States will lose more than the Russian side.
