Daijiworld Media Network- Washington

Washington, Aug 8: Even as the United States imposed a steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods — citing New Delhi’s continued trade with Russia — official figures from the US Census Bureau reveal a glaring contradiction. Data shows that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, Washington has consistently imported more goods from Moscow than from its ally Kyiv.

Prior to the conflict, US trade with Russia stood at USD 25.23 billion, compared to just USD 9.69 billion with Ukraine. Though American imports from Russia have dropped sharply during the war, they have remained far higher than imports from Ukraine.

In 2022, the US imported goods worth USD 14.43 billion from Russia, while imports from Ukraine were only USD 1.50 billion. The following year, the US brought in USD 4.57 billion worth of Russian goods, compared to USD 1.31 billion from Ukraine. In 2024, Russian imports were valued at USD 3.00 billion against Ukraine’s USD 1.17 billion. The trend continued in 2025, with Russian imports at USD 2.49 billion and Ukrainian imports at a mere USD 769 million.

India, which has strongly criticised what it calls “Western double standards”, has pointed out that the US and European nations themselves continue to buy substantial volumes of Russian goods, particularly energy in Europe’s case. New Delhi has also highlighted that its own imports from Ukraine, despite disruptions caused by the war, have been proportionally higher than America’s.

According to Indian Embassy data from Kyiv, India’s imports from Ukraine stood at USD 2.91 billion in FY 2021-22. While the figure dropped by over 77 per cent in subsequent years due to logistical disruptions, it still surpassed US levels — USD 650.26 million in 2023, USD 539 million in 2024, and rising again to USD 1.03 billion in 2025.

The numbers, observers say, underline a complex reality — one in which political posturing often masks the economic truths on the ground.