The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives in April 2025, is currently in committee. Its enactment is far from certain and depends on negotiations toward peace between Russia and Ukraine. Were it to pass, the impact on Russia would be crippling because of the country’s reliance on exports of energy and related products.
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Russia’s Polymer Imports/Exports in 2022
Although Russia stopped publishing trade statistics soon after invading Ukraine, the country’s trade is visible in large part from the statistics of trading partners. These show lower imports and exports of several key polymers in 2022.
Continue readingUkraine’s Exports Remained Depressed Through May, 2022, but Imports of Key Chemical Products Picked Up.
The start of the war in February, 2022, severely impacted Ukraine’s trade in chemical and other products. While export volumes remained depressed, imports of many products into Ukraine picked up in May, although not to pre-war levels.
Continue readingMajor Shift to Europe in US Exports of LNG
US export figures through May, 2022, show not only surging export volumes but also a shift away from Asia-Pacific to Europe.
Continue readingPolypropylene Imports Into Europe Jump in March
March 2022 was the first full month of trade after the February invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Uncertainty created by the war apparently resulted in higher imports of polypropylene homopolymer into both Eastern Europe and Western Europe in March.
Continue readingUkraine’s Exports Plummet
Ukraine is a sizable exporter of caustic soda, PVC, propylene monomer and polymers of ethylene, among other products. Shipments of all of these dropped sharply in March, the month after Russia’s invasion, and virtually disappeared in April and May.
Continue readingRussia’s Exports of Polyolefins to Western and Eastern Europe
Russia exports more than twice as much ethylene and propylene polymers to other Eastern European countries than it does to Western Europe. Turkey and Poland are the top two destinations in Eastern Europe. Flows to Poland, other EU countries within Eastern Europe, and the Ukraine are most likely to be affected by the war in Ukraine.
Continue readingImpressive Surge in US Exports of Polyethylene in March, 2022
The United States exported 966,000 tons of ethylene polymers in March, 2022, an increase of 160,000 tons over February. Shipments of every PE grade were up in March. Further increases are likely with startup of new capacity.
Continue readingUkraine Exports and Imports Numerous Polymers and Chemicals that Will Likely be Impacted by the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine exports sizable volumes of benzene, caustic soda, propylene monomer and PVC, and, imports polyethylene, polypropylene, liquefied propane and butane gas and PET.
Ukraine’s top export markets include Italy, Poland, Turkey, Czech Rep., Russia and Spain, among others. Russia is Ukraine’s top import source for LDPE, polypropylene, methanol and liquefied propane and butane gas.
This table shows Ukraine’s total exports and imports in 2021 and top trading partners for each:
From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses, continuously updated analysis of trade between countries and regions for each product.
Continue readingRussia’s PE and PP Exports Soar in 2020; LPG Exports Drop
SIBUR’s addition of new polyolefins capacity in western Siberia was reflected in Russia’s export figures for 2020 which set new record highs for HDPE, LLDPE and PP. As a result, Russia exported substantially lower volumes of liquefied propane gas, which is used as a feedstock in the new plant.
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