From Uranium to Fertilizers: The US Imports That Sanctions Haven’t Stopped
Despite sanctions, the U.S. continues to import key goods from Russia, including fertilizers, palladium, and enriched uranium. These essential imports, worth over $2 billion in early 2025, highlight America's ongoing reliance on Russia for critical industrial and energy needs.
- Republic Business
- 3 min read
Despite a steep drop in United States. –Russia trade after the Ukraine war and sanctions, the world's biggest economy still relies on a few critical imports from Russia. Fertilizers, palladium, and enriched uranium remain top imports, as they are hard to replace and vital to US farming, industry, and energy.
Trade overview
According to US Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data, US imports from Russia dropped from about $30 billion in 2021 to around $3 billion in 2024. However, in the first five months of 2025, imports rose 23% year-on-year to $2.1 billion, showing that certain goods—mostly non-energy—are still flowing in.
Top import categories in 2024
In 2024, the top items the U.S. bought from Russia included fertilizers like urea and potash (worth around $1.3 billion), and precious metals such as palladium and platinum (about $878 million). Other major imports were inorganic chemicals ($696 million), enriched uranium ($624 million), and wood products ($89 million). Smaller categories included nuclear machinery ($81 million), animal feed ($40 million), base metals ($37 million), aircraft parts ($35 million), and iron and steel ($13 million), as per the data shared by UN COMTRADE. These accounted for almost 90% of total imports from Russia that year.
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Trends in Early 2025 (Jan–May)
Between January and May 2025, fertilizer imports rose to $806 million, a 21% jump over the same period in 2024 and 60% more than in early 2021. Uranium imports hit $596 million, up 28% year-on-year and nearly 1.5 times higher than in 2021. Palladium imports reached about $502 million, a rise of 37%. These three items continue to lead all U.S. imports from Russia.
Why these products still flow into the US
These items continue to be imported because there are limited alternative suppliers. Uranium and palladium are essential for U.S. energy and auto industries, and fertilizers are critical for farming. Many of these goods are exempt from full sanctions. Also, U.S. industries have pushed for waivers to avoid hurting domestic operations, especially in nuclear energy and manufacturing.
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What has disappeared from the trade pipeline
Energy imports like crude oil, coal, and LNG—worth over $17 billion in 2021—have stopped entirely due to sanctions. Other products like nickel, lead, and seafood have also been cut off from trade.
Bottom Line
Fertilizers, palladium, and enriched uranium are still being imported due to their importance and lack of easy substitutes. These exceptions demonstrate the fact that how global supply chains can remain tied together, even in times of conflict and sanctions.