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Will Trump’s Tariffs Stop Russian Plywood from Flooding US Ports?

ENGOS warn that more than 50% of all Russian products entering the United States are connected to timber products.


Mon 27 Jan 25

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Donald Trump has threatened Vladimir Putin with higher tariffs and sanctions if Russia does not help end the Ukraine war, warning: “It’s time to make a deal.”

“I’m not looking to hurt Russia,” the US President told Truth Social. However, in a direct warning to Putin, he demanded that Russia: “Stop this ridiculous war!”

“I love the Russian people and always had a very good relationship with President Putin,” Trump said, noting the Soviet Union’s role in helping the Allies win the Second World War. “(But) it’s only going to get worse. If we don’t make a ‘deal’, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries.”

“We can do it the easy way or the hard way – and the easy way is always better…” It’s time to make a deal. No more lives should be lost.”

In November, Wood Central revealed that despite a breakdown in geopolitical relations and broad sanctions imposed across various industries, Russia has emerged as one of the United States’ most important markets for plywood, with traders taking more Russian wood while taking less plywood from other partners.

According to the most recent data obtained by the US Department of Agriculture, more than 15,500 cubic metres of plywood were traded from Russia to the United States in November—an increase of 31% above the corresponding period in November 2023.

Russias exports of plywood to United States expand 31 in November 2024

Behind Brazil, Vietnam (America’s fastest-growing import market), Indonesia, Canada, Spain, and Chile, Wood Central can reveal that timber importers are turning to Russia to make up shortfalls from China after the Department of Commerce introduced import tariffs, causing prices to spike 85%.

In April, Wood Central reported that timber accounts for more than 50% of Russian products entering the US, leading ENGOs to speculate that the US reliance on lumber could inadvertently fuel the conflict. At the time, they said that the Russian military “directly controls an area of forest twice the size of New Jersey,” with the army profiting from the sale of timber transported from Russia through Eurasia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alexey Mordashov, Russia's richest man, who has profiteered off selling plywood into the North American market. (Photo Credit: Wiki Commons, under Creative Commons)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alexey Mordashov, Russia’s richest man, who has profiteered off selling plywood into the North American market. (Photo Credit: Wiki Commons, under Creative Commons)

Trump, who returned to the White House last Monday, has previously claimed he could end the conflict in “one day, 24 hours”. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said the Kremlin would need to know what Trump wants in a deal before the country moves forward.

“It’s not merely the question of ending the war,” Polyanskiy told Reuters. “It’s first and foremost the question of addressing root causes of the Ukrainian crisis.” He continued: “So we have to see what the ‘deal’ means in President Trump’s understanding.”

“He is not responsible for what the US has been doing in Ukraine since 2014, making it ‘anti-Russia’ and preparing for the war with us, but it is in his power now to stop this malicious policy.”

The new tariff threat comes as Trump has sought to use the threat of tariffs to achieve non-trade goals, including threatening Mexico, Canada and China with duties to push them to stop illegal migration and the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States.

Author

  • Jason Ross

    Jason Ross, publisher, is a 15-year professional in building and construction, connecting with more than 400 specifiers. A Gottstein Fellowship recipient, he is passionate about growing the market for wood-based information. Jason is Wood Central's in-house emcee and is available for corporate host and MC services.

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