‘Do As We Say, Not As We Do’? EU Lectures India Over Russian Oil, But Trade Numbers Reveal A Story It Won’t Say Out Loud

While the EU publicly champions sanctions and criticises India over Russian oil imports, 2024 trade data shows Europe itself traded $70.3 billion with Moscow. It exposes a striking gap between rhetoric and reality.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. (File photo: Reuters)

New Delhi: Europe’s top leaders speak in strong voices against Russia, but behind closed doors and shipping docks, the numbers tell another story. In 2024, the European Union's total trade with Moscow reached $70.3 billion. It was nearly equal to India’s $72 billion, despite the EU leading global calls for Russia’s economic isolation.

For months, India has faced pressure from Western capitals. It has been cast as one of Moscow’s key post-war trade partners. But the EU’s own engagement with Russia runs deep. It covers not only fuel, but chemicals, metals, food and machinery.

India’s trade with Russia last year leaned heavily on energy. Fuel shipments alone reached $59.5 billion, making up over 80% of its total trade volume.

Meanwhile, Europe has reduced its oil imports (only $24.2 billion in 2024) but maintains high-volume transactions across other sectors.

Chemical trade between the EU and Russia stood at $17.6 billion. It is over six times India’s $3.1 billion. In metals, the EU clocked $6.7 billion, far exceeding India’s $0.9 billion. The bloc also recorded $5 billion in food imports and $4.4 billion in machinery and electronics from Russia.

Imports tell only half the story.

The EU exported $34 billion worth of goods to Russia in 2024. That was over seven times India’s $4.9 billion exports. Europe sent $14.6 billion in chemicals, $5 billion in food and $3.7 billion in machinery and electronics.

The patterns are tangled even among critics across the Atlantic.

The United States imported $3.8 billion worth of Russian goods in 2024, more than half of which was fertiliser and chemicals. From Ukraine, the country it supports militarily and diplomatically, the United States imported only $1.23 billion in goods. It was less than India’s $1.48 billion from the war-torn country. Ukraine paid $1.69 billion for US exports, raising questions about balance and benefit in a time of conflict.

US President Donald Trump has renewed his attack on India over its energy imports from Russia.

“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

While global speeches focus on isolation, trade flows reveal a more complicated map. Between policy podiums and port-side manifests, Moscow’s trade routes remain far from silent.