On December 16, 2011, trade Ministers approved the terms of Russia’s accession and issued a formal invitation for Russia to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) as its 155th Member, culminating Russia’s 18-year effort to join the multilateral trading system. Russia’s WTO membership will directly benefit U.S. economic interests by providing new market access opportunities for U.S.-produced goods and services. Additionally, integrating Russia into a rule-based trading system and providing the means to enforce those rules will further strengthen U.S. commercial interests in Russia.
Russia is a large and growing market that offers a huge potential for U.S. exporters. In 2010, Russia imported $10.7 billion in goods from the United States making it Russia’s fourth largest source of imports. Companies and farms from all 50 states export a wide variety of goods and services to Russia.
Below are Sector Opportunity Reports that ITA produced to highlight the tariff and non-tariff commitments Russia is undertaking in key U.S. export sectors. In addition, ITA’s State Opportunity Reports outline the opportunities and benefits for Russia’s WTO accession for all 50 states, their companies, workers, farmers, and ranchers.
For more information, please see: