LONDON (Realist English). In June, for the first time in history, the UK imported no fuels from Russia following the imposition of sanctions in connection with the Russian special operation on the former Ukrainian territory, Sky News reports.
By the end of 2021, Russia has become the largest supplier of refined petroleum products to the UK. It accounted for 24.1% of all British imports of this commodity, as well as 5.9% of imports of crude oil and 4.9% of gas.
According to the Office for National Statistics, imports of goods in June also fell to 33 million pounds. This is the lowest figure since registration began in January 1997.
Imports of all goods decreased compared to the monthly average for the 12 months prior to February preceding the Russian special operation.
At the same time, in June exports to Russia increased slightly compared to the previous month, but its volume decreased by 168 million pounds — about 67% compared to the monthly average for the 12 months prior to February.
Until June, exports of most goods fell significantly, with exports of machinery and transport equipment — by 118 million pounds, or 91%.
Chemicals became the only commodity exported to Russia during this period due to an increase of 39.1 million pounds (61.8%) in exports of medicines and pharmaceutical products that are not subject to sanctions.
