Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

News

Weird stuff the US buys from Russia

Weird stuff the US buys from Russia
By Carlos Santamaria,
Carlos Santamaria

Carlos Santamaria is a former senior writer at GZERO.

See Full Bio
Alex Kliment,
Alex Kliment

Alex wears a few different caps and tips them all regularly. He writes for the GZERO Daily, works as a field correspondent for GZERO's nationally syndicated TV show GZERO WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER, and writes/directs/voices GZERO's award-winning puppet satire show PUPPET REGIME. Prior to joining GZERO, Alex worked as an analyst covering Russia and broader Emerging Markets for Eurasia Group. He has also written for the Financial Times from Washington, DC, and Sao Paulo Brazil. In his spare time, he makes short films and composes scores for long ones. He studied history and Slavic literature at Columbia and has a Master's from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He's a native New Yorker, a long-suffering Mets fan, and owns too many bicycles.

See Full Bio
Annie Gugliotta,
Annie Gugliotta
Annie Gugliotta was formerly a former graphic designer for GZERO Media and Eurasia Group. See more of Annie's work at https://www.annegugliotta.com/.
See Full Bio
Paige Parsacala
Paige Parsacala
Paige Fusco is a graphic designer creating visualizations - data-driven and otherwise - for Eurasia Group and GZERO Media.
See Full Bio
April 13, 2022
Make us preferred on Google

Bad news for anyone in America smoking a pipe on a recreational boat while playing a percussion instrument in a wig: the war in Ukraine could make your life a lot less colorful if Washington decides to sanction more US imports from Russia. All of those items are among the things the US buys from Russia, with love, every year.

So in the meantime, take a picture of them and print it on photo paper, then scrub your hands in a plastic washbasin, get a snack from the nearest vending machine, and settle in with a good children's picture book to read. When you are finished, take a moment to reflect on why, with Russia's help, you are such an unbelievably weird person.

Check out some of the weird and wild products America imports from Russia each year below.

$46,836 Children's Picture Books

Will the war in Ukraine close the book on this trade?

Value of US imports in 2020. Source: Observatory of Economic Complexity

europerussia sanctionsukraine warrussiaus-russia traderussia-ukraineproducts us imports from russia

Latest Videos

The high stakes of the global AI raceplay icon
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

The high stakes of the global AI race

The race to control artificial intelligence
Ian Explains

The race to control artificial intelligence

The fight to bring Ukraine’s children home
GZERO Reports

The fight to bring Ukraine’s children home

The fallout from Jensen Huang’s exit from Nvidia
ask ian

The fallout from Jensen Huang’s exit from Nvidia

Can the US beat China at AI?
GZERO World Clips

Can the US beat China at AI?

Loneliness, youth, and the rise of online radicalization
Global Stage

Loneliness, youth, and the rise of online radicalization

More For You

The honeypot scandals that went down in the history books

A screengrab from CTI video footage obtained November 9, 2026 shows a woman identified by Reuters as Alice Huang after comparison with a photograph obtained separately, attending a dinner with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (in black) at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan May 22, 2025.

A screengrab from CTI video footage obtained November 9, 2026 shows a woman identified by Reuters as Alice Huang after comparison with a photograph obtained separately, attending a dinner with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (in black) at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan May 22, 2025.

REUTERS
This week’s biggest news story reads like a spy thriller. Jensen Huang, the CEO of one of the world’s most powerful companies in the AI boom, resigned on Thursday after admitting to an extramarital affair with a suspected Chinese spy. American officials say she was recruited to collect information on him and influence his feelings about selling [...]

Limited progress in Russia-Ukraine talks, South Africa’s AI push, Migrant caravan making its way to the US

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, November 12, 2026.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, November 12, 2026.

REUTERS
A weak week in Ukraine diplomacyA whirlwind week of Ukraine diplomacy yielded only the faintest breeze of progress. First, US, Russian, and Ukrainian officials met in Abu Dhabi. Then US envoys met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, while Volodymyr Zelensky huddled with European leaders in Ireland. The most tangible breakthrough was a major prisoner [...]

Milei malaise?

Milei malaise?
Will Fitzpatrick
Three years into his presidency, Argentina’s eccentric libertarian leader is facing growing political pressure. Milei took office promising to rein in Argentina’s runaway inflation, and he has largely delivered. But that success has come at a cost. Sweeping cuts to social spending and a struggling labor market are increasingly weighing on [...]

Putin calls about the midterms

Putin calls about the midterms
- YouTube
youtu.be
Look on the bright side.Watch more PUPPET REGIME! [...]