WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Stadnik explained that service exports from Russia to the United States grew by 25.8 percent in 2016, reaching $2.5 billion, while bilateral services trade dropped by five percent that year.
"The total volume has dropped, while Russian services have grown. It means that the decline was experienced by the American side. This is primarily caused by sectoral sanctions, especially in the financial sector," Stadnik stated.
In 2013, bilateral service trade between the United States and Russia stood at almost $11 billion. In 2014, it dropped to $10.3 billion and reached $7.7 billion in 2015.
In 2014, the United States along with European Union member states and other countries imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia on the pretext of its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, a claim which Moscow has repeatedly denied.
