Page 60 - RusRPTFeb24

the Americas dropped to $11.4bn from $18.8bn, while imports fell to $13.7 from $15.2bn.
5.2 Balance of payments, current account 5.2.1 Import/export dynamics
Latvian president supports ban on Russian grain imports. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said at a press conference on Jan. 24 that he would support a ban on the import of Russian grain "both for political and economic reasons."
● Partners & regions
The export of goods from the EU to Russia is still 37% of the pre-war level. After the start of the full-scale invasion, exports from the EU to Russia, although reduced by more than 60%, are still 37% of the pre-war level. One of the reasons for the volume of exports to Russia remaining high is that only 32% of all goods from the EU are subject to sanctions. In addition, many goods from the EU can be delivered to the Russian Federation through third countries.
Trade turnover between Belarus, Russia in 2023 expected at $54bn — Lukashenko According to the Belarusian leader, trade in goods and services between the two countries "will hit a fresh all-time high"
● Products
Taiwan has become the biggest exporter of metalworking equipment to Russia during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a new joint investigation by the Russian independent media The Insider and Taiwanese The Reporter, published on Jan. 27, revealed.
Taiwan banned export of metalworking equipment to Russia in January 2023. Moscow nonetheless received 193 pieces of Taiwanese-made metalworking machinery worth nearly $29 million from March to September 2023.
Nearly 80% of the equipment is reportedly sent to Russia via intermediaries, Turkey and China, the investigation revealed, citing data from the Russian customs service. According to Taiwan's customs data cited in the investigation, the total price of metalworking equipment exported to Turkey increased by 45% from January to October 2023.
Egypt booked eight cargoes of wheat from a Russian state-backed trader in a direct deal in the last week of January, according to Bloomberg. Egypt ranks among the world’s top wheat buyers, and the deal reflects about 480,000 tonnes, or about 4% of its annual imports. Its state-run importer — the General Authority for Supply Commodities — booked the grain for November and
60 RUSSIA Country Report February 2024 www.intellinews.com