Advice and Information
The table below displays trade statistics between the UK and Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The first two columns are the value of total exports to the region and what percent of total exports this is. The next two columns show the country’s international ranking aka 1 would be the country we export most to, and what our largest item exported to the region is. Columns 5-8 display the same data for imports.
|
|
Export Value
|
Export %
|
Export Rank
|
Largest Export
|
Import Value
|
Import %
|
Import Rank
|
Largest Import
|
|
Russia
|
£3.0 bn
|
0.9%
|
24th
|
Cars
|
£10.3 bn
|
2.2%
|
12th
|
Refined oil
|
|
Ukraine
|
£672 mil
|
0.2%
|
48th
|
Specialised Machinery
|
£830 mil
|
0.2%
|
53rd
|
Iron & steel
|
|
Belarus
|
£105 mil
|
0.03%
|
92nd
|
Mechanical power generators
|
£71 mil
|
0.01%
|
95th
|
Wood & cork
|
The table below is the same as the one above but for UK chemical and pharmaceutical trade with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
|
|
Export Value
|
Export %
|
Export Rank
|
Largest Export
|
Import Value
|
Import %
|
Import Rank
|
Largest Import
|
|
Russia
|
£704 mil
|
1.3%
|
14th
|
Pharmaceuticals
|
£255 mil
|
0.4%
|
26th
|
Inorganic chemicals (fertilisers)
|
|
Ukraine
|
£189 mil
|
0.4%
|
37th
|
Pharmaceuticals
|
£21 mil
|
0.03%
|
57th
|
Organic chemicals
|
|
Belarus
|
£15 mil
|
0.03%
|
90th
|
Other chemicals
|
£150,000
|
0.0002%
|
117th
|
Organic chemicals
|
Below are two tables, table 1 for exports and table 2 for imports. Each table contains data for 2019, 2020 and January-November 2021 (December data is published next Friday). Table 1 contain the value in million £’s of UK exports of chemicals and pharmaceuticals to Russia broken down by product. The table also contains what percent this export value is of the total UK exports of that good. E.g. in 2019 the UK exported £638.0 million worth of chemicals and pharmaceuticals to Russia which was 1.2% of total UK chemical and pharmaceutical exports that year. Table 2 is the same format but for imports.
Imports of processed fertilisers is our biggest exposure, followed by imports of inorganics
Table 1: Exports
|
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021 (Jan-Nov)
|
|
Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (Total)
|
638.0
|
548.0
|
642.5
|
|
Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (Total) % of UK total
|
1.2%
|
1.0%
|
1.3%
|
|
Organic chemicals
|
78.2
|
77.0
|
71.3
|
|
Organic chemicals % of UK total
|
0.8%
|
0.8%
|
1.0%
|
|
Inorganic chemicals
|
8.8
|
11.4
|
20.6
|
|
Inorganic chemicals % of UK total
|
0.6%
|
0.6%
|
0.8%
|
|
Dyeing, tanning & colouring materials
|
58.4
|
50.2
|
63.4
|
|
Dyeing, tanning & colouring materials % of UK total
|
2.4%
|
2.2%
|
2.8%
|
|
Medicinal & pharmaceutical products
|
303.0
|
243.2
|
274.6
|
|
Medicinal & pharmaceutical products % of UK total
|
1.3%
|
1.2%
|
1.4%
|
|
Toilet & cleansing preparations
|
75.2
|
59.7
|
106.1
|
|
Toilet & cleansing preparations % of UK total
|
1.3%
|
1.1%
|
2.1%
|
|
Processed fertilisers
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
1.1
|
|
Processed fertilisers % of UK total
|
0.2%
|
0.3%
|
0.4%
|
|
Plastics in primary forms
|
27.4
|
29.1
|
33.5
|
|
Plastics in primary forms % of UK total
|
0.8%
|
0.9%
|
1.0%
|
|
Plastics in non-primary forms
|
21.5
|
14.3
|
23.1
|
|
Plastics in non-primary forms % of UK total
|
0.7%
|
0.5%
|
0.7%
|
|
Other chemicals
|
65.0
|
62.4
|
48.9
|
|
Other chemicals % of UK total
|
1.1%
|
0.9%
|
0.8%
|
Table 2: Imports
|
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021 (Jan-Nov)
|
|
Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (Total)
|
244.4
|
236.6
|
235.3
|
|
Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (Total) % of UK total
|
0.4%
|
0.4%
|
0.4%
|
|
Organic chemicals
|
40.6
|
49.6
|
14.5
|
|
Organic chemicals % of UK total
|
0.5%
|
0.6%
|
0.2%
|
|
Inorganic chemicals
|
105.7
|
104.9
|
109.6
|
|
Inorganic chemicals % of UK total
|
4.7%
|
6.2%
|
5.4%
|
|
Dyeing, tanning & colouring materials
|
0.1
|
0.2
|
0.1
|
|
Dyeing, tanning & colouring materials % of UK total
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
|
Medicinal & pharmaceutical products
|
5.4
|
2.7
|
3.1
|
|
Medicinal & pharmaceutical products % of UK total
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
|
Toilet & cleansing preparations
|
4.6
|
4.8
|
3.9
|
|
Toilet & cleansing preparations % of UK total
|
0.1%
|
0.1%
|
0.1%
|
|
Processed fertilisers
|
84.7
|
71.3
|
79.8
|
|
Processed fertilisers % of UK total
|
10.2%
|
9.9%
|
10.3%
|
|
Plastics in primary forms
|
1.9
|
1.3
|
13.1
|
|
Plastics in primary forms % of UK total
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.2%
|
|
Plastics in non-primary forms
|
0.7
|
0.8
|
10.2
|
|
Plastics in non-primary forms % of UK total
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.3%
|
|
Other chemicals
|
0.8
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
Other chemicals % of UK total
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
The UK has announced new measures to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia by removing all tariffs covered by the existing UK-Ukraine trade deal and hitting the Putin government with fresh sanctions.
All tariffs on goods imported from Ukraine will now be reduced to zero and all quotas will be removed under the free trade agreement. The Prime Minister pledged to cut tariffs to support Ukraine’s economy through this crisis when he visited Kyiv earlier this month. International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan met Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK His Excellency Vadym Prystaiko in London last week to reiterate the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine and set out the new measures. The announcement comes following a direct request from President Zelenskyy’s government to liberalise tariffs and support the Ukrainian economy.
In addition, the UK has also announced an export ban on products and technology that Russia could use to repress the heroic people of Ukraine. Products targeted could include interception and monitoring equipment. This will close any existing loopholes to ensure that Russia is not buying these goods from the UK. This comes on top of last week’s announcement which increased the list of products facing import bans and increased tariffs, including applying new import bans to silver and wood products and increasing tariffs by 35 percentage points on products such as diamonds and rubber.
Russia and Belarus - Sanctions
The UK Government introduced sanctions against Russia and Belarus following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Sanctions were introduced by most Western countries including the US and the EU. Sanctions have focussed on Russia’s financial system and on Russian nationals with investment portfolios in the UK. On 21 April the UK introduced bans on the import of a number of products from Russia including on silver and wood products. Additional punitive tariffs were also increased on 130 additional products including various chemical products. Please do review the below list and consider if your company is impacted.
CIA continue to encourage members to monitor developments closely using the links below to remain abreast of the latest requirements and guidance. Please assess your direct engagement and exposure to trading with Russian entities and third parties, extending to those who might have sourced materials from Russia. Subsequent UK sanctions have been extended to include Russian oil with imports now blocked from the end of 2022. Government are confident that supply chains can be adjusted within that timeframe.
The Government has establish a single contact point for companies requiring advice on doing business with Russia and Belarus. Please raise the query digitally by following the link Export Support Team Alternatively call the expert advisers on 0300 303 8955
To help keep track of sanctions imposed we advise that companies refer to the gov.uk website offering the latest guidance relating to exporting to Russia and Belarus.
Companies doing business with countries subject to sanctions must accept the risks of doing so, just as they accept other political and market risks. We do not have an insight into what the next phase of sanctions might contain but an embargo on trade beyond those sectors already listed above remains a possibility.
As ever, we will remain closely connected to our Government contacts in the BEIS chemicals team as well as DIT and Foreign Office staff to ensure that our industry’s issues are effectively represented across Government.