OREANDA-NEWS  From 2019 to 2024, the total trade volumes of Russia and the Netherlands fell by more than eight times. Vladimir Tarabrin, the Russian ambassador to The Hague, announced a sharp drop in trade with a European country, RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

If in 2019 the total amount of bilateral trade was estimated at 41.4 billion euros, then by the end of 2024 it amounted to only 5 billion. Thus, during this time, the trade turnover between Russia and the Netherlands has decreased by 8.28 times, the diplomat stated. Compared to the peak recorded in 2012, trade between the two countries has declined even more, the ambassador noted. The decrease to this level amounted to 77.7 billion euros (more than 16 times).

Tarabrin attributed such dynamics to the introduction of large-scale anti-Russian sanctions by the authorities of the European Union (EU). The ambassador called the policy of the bloc's leadership one-sided. "Trade has become the most affected area due to the severance of ties with our country," Tarabrin concluded.

After the sanctions were imposed, trade between Russia and the European Union (EU) collapsed. In the first half of 2025 alone, bilateral trade dropped by 74 percent compared to the level recorded in February 2022. China has become Russia's main trade and economic partner during this time. However, while Beijing remains an uncontested ally for Moscow, the role of the Russian Federation in China's trade structure continues to be relatively insignificant. Against this background, many experts talk about the risk of increasing Russia's dependence on China.