Germany was the top importer of Russian oil in 2009, receiving approximately 700 thousand barrels per day (bbl/d). Germany's economic relationship with Russia goes back to the aftermath of World War II, when the Soviet Union occupied East Germany and later supplied raw materials to the area, when both countries were members of the Warsaw Pact. The large Druzhba pipeline carries Russian oil to Germany, passing through Belarus and Poland.
The Netherlands was the second-largest importer of Russian oil in 2009, receiving more than 500,000 bbl/d. Furthermore, $62 billion dollars worth of trade was conducted between Russia and the Netherlands in 2008, making the Netherlands the second-largest overall trading partner with Russia. After Germany and the Netherlands, the next largest importers of oil are Poland and China. Curiously, the Netherlands was never part of the communist bloc, unlike many of the other top importers of Russian oil.
In 2009 China was the fourth-largest importer of Russian oil, behind Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. China's 300,000 bbl/d made it by far the largest Asian importer of Russian oil, with Japan ranking a distant second. Chinese demand for Russian oil has recently increased, and as of 2011 the East Siberian-Pacific Ocean Pipeline is being developed to supply China with 30 million tons of oil per year.
The United States is by far the largest importer of Russian oil in the Western Hemisphere. In 2009 the United States imported more than 200,000 bbl/d from Russia. Only six countries imported more oil from Russia that year. Russia has been suggested as an alternative source for U.S. oil, because of the political instability of the Middle East and the fact that the United States is, hands down, the world's top oil consumer.
