ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES UNDER SANCTIONS PRESSURE

Abstract

The trade relations between Russia and the European Union have undergone drastic changes from 2021 to 2025. The volume of mutual trade decreased several times, which led to the reorientation of Russian exports to Asian markets. The EU's share in the structure of the Russian Federation's foreign trade has reached a historic low. At the same time, Europe continues to increase sanctions pressure on Russia by adopting new restrictive measures. In these circumstances, the Russian Federation is actively developing trade cooperation with friendly countries, primarily with China, India and the states of the Eurasian Economic Union. The main reasons for the transformation of trade relations are political factors, which confirms the need for further diversification of foreign trade relations of the Russian Federation. The article contains an analysis of trade relations between the Russian Federation and the EU countries in the context of global tensions in foreign economic activity. The dynamics of trade turnover between Russia and the EU for the period 2021-2025 has been assessed, and changes in the structure of export-import operations have been identified. The main sanctions packages of the European Union and the retaliatory measures of the Russian Federation, including the food embargo and the transfer of payments for energy resources in rubles, are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the reorientation of Russian trade flows to Asian markets and the change in the share of European countries in Russia's foreign trade turnover. The results of the analysis will make it possible to assess the depth of the transformation of trade relations and determine the directions for the further development of the Russian Federation's foreign economic activity.