Russia’s foreign trade surplus up 16.2 pct year-on-year

MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) — Russia’s foreign trade surplus increased by 16.2 percent year-on-year and amounted to 76.7 billion U.S. dollars, the Federal Customs Service of Russia (FCS) said Friday.
Russia’s exports totaled 207.1 billion dollars from January to June, down 0.4 percent from the same period last year. The volume of imports amounted to 130.4 billion dollars in the first half of 2024, reflecting an 8.1 percent decline compared to the same period last year.
Russia’s exports to Europe fell by about 34 percent to 31.7 billion dollars in the first half of the year, while imports dropped by about 14 percent to 34.9 billion dollars.
During the same period, Russian exports to the United States increased by 14.2 percent to reach 6.7 billion dollars, while imports from the country amounted to 6.9 billion dollars, down 15.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Russian exports to Asian countries rose 8.5 percent to 156.2 billion dollars in the first six months of 2024, while imports from Asia fell 4.8 percent year-on-year to 86.6 billion dollars.
In the first half of the year, Russia’s total foreign trade volume reached 337.5 billion dollars, according to the FCS. ■