Calculated from official U.S. data: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). No blogger estimates — only what the U.S. actually paid Russia.
The Main Number
During 4 years of Joe Biden’s presidency — from January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025 — the United States bought about $51.7 billion worth of goods from Russia.
This is not aid, not a gift, not a secret transfer. This is official import statistics: American companies paid Russian companies for oil, uranium, fertilizers, and metals.
Sources:
- U.S. Census Bureau — U.S. Imports of Goods from Russia: 2021 — $29.64 billion, 2022 — $14.45 billion, 2023 — $4.58 billion, 2024 — $3.02 billion
- EIA — U.S. Imports from Russia of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products
By Year — Table
| Year | Total Imports from Russia | Of Which Oil and Petroleum Products |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $29.64 billion | ~$16.9 billion |
| 2022 | $14.45 billion | ~$4-5 billion (only until April) |
| 2023 | $4.58 billion | $0 |
| 2024 | $3.02 billion | $0 |
| TOTAL | ~$51.7 billion | ~$21-22 billion |
1. Oil — $21-22 Billion. The Main Payment.
In 2021, the U.S. imported from Russia about 245 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products — according to EIA, 672,000 barrels per day, about 8% of all U.S. oil imports.
In 2021, that cost $16.9 billion.
On March 8, 2022, Biden signed a ban on imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal. But the law had a window — old contracts were allowed to be delivered until April 22, 2022. During those 3 months, the U.S. paid another $4-5 billion.
After that — Russian oil to the U.S. — zero.
Official sources:
- EIA: U.S. Petroleum Imports From Russia — https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/supply/weekly/
- EIA: U.S. Imports from Russia of Crude Oil — https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/mcrimus3m.htm
- Executive Order 14066, March 8, 2022 — Ban on Russian oil imports — https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/08/executive-order-on-prohibiting-certain-imports-and-new-investment-with-respect-to-continued-russian-federation-efforts-to-undermine-the-sovereignty-and-territorial-integrity-of-ukraine/
2. After Oil — Uranium and Fertilizers. Another $12-13 Billion in 3 Years.
Biden banned oil, but did not ban uranium and fertilizers. And the U.S. continued to pay:
Uranium:
In 2023, Russia supplied 27% of all enriched uranium for U.S. nuclear power plants. That’s about $0.7-1 billion per year.
The ban on Russian uranium was passed only in 2024 — Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act (2024) — https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1042
Fertilizers:
In 2021 — $1.2 billion, in 2023-2024 — $1.3 billion per year. Fertilizers became the main import item from Russia after 2022. They were not banned — American farmers could not work without them.
Palladium, platinum, inorganic chemicals:
Another ∼$1 billion per year.
Total after the oil ban, in 2022-2024, the U.S. paid Russia another $12-13 billion for uranium, fertilizers, and metals.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — U.S. Trade in Goods with Russia — https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4621.html
3. Gifted Assets — Separate from $51.7 Billion
This is not money the U.S. paid. These are assets American companies lost when exiting Russia:
- ExxonMobil — $4+ billion — 30% stake in the Sakhalin-1 project. On October 7, 2022, Putin seized this stake by decree without compensation.
- McDonald’s — $1.2-1.4 billion — write-off for 847 restaurants sold for a symbolic price.
- Boeing / Airbus leasing — more than 400 aircraft remained in Russia and were not returned to leasing companies.
- All Western companies — estimated losses over $107 billion.
Sources:
- ExxonMobil — exit from Russia, October 2022 — https://www.reuters.[STRIPPED 76 bytes] McDonald’s — sale of business in Russia, May 2022 — https://www.reuters.com/business/mcdonalds-sell-its-russian-business-2022-05-16/
4. How Much Went Directly to the Kremlin Budget?
Important to separate:
$51.7 billion — is what Americans paid Russian companies.
Not all of this is Kremlin profit. From this money they paid salaries, production costs, transportation.
But Russian state companies — Rosneft, Gazprom, Rosatom — pay taxes and dividends to the Russian budget. Estimates are 30-40% of state-company contract amounts go to the budget.
That means from $51.7 billion, about $15-20 billion went directly to the Kremlin budget through taxes and dividends of state companies.
The rest — production costs and private companies.
Conclusion
In 4 years in the White House, the Biden administration:
- Paid Russia for goods — $51.7 billion
- Of which for oil — $21-22 billion, before the ban in March-April 2022
- After the oil ban — another $12-13 billion for uranium, fertilizers, and metals, which were never banned
- Plus lost assets of American companies — tens of billions, which remained in Russia after a hasty exit
The $300 billion in Central Bank of Russia reserves were never confiscated — they are frozen in Europe, in the Belgian depository Euroclear. The interest on them — about $3 billion per year — was decided to be used by Europe, not the U.S.
Sources to verify:
- U.S. Census Bureau — Trade with Russia: https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c4621.html
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Imports from Russia: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/mcrimus3m.htm
- White House — Executive Order 14066: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/08/executive-order-on-prohibiting-certain-imports-and-new-investment-with-respect-to-continued-russian-federation-efforts-to-undermine-the-sovereignty-and-territorial-integrity-of-ukraine/
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