This is what we export (2020) Warning: Real pathetic
Machinery including computers: US$182.6 billion (12.8% of total exports) Electrical machinery, equipment: $162.9 billion (11.4%) Mineral fuels including oil: $155.1 billion (10.8%) Vehicles: $105.2 billion (7.3%) Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $83.4 billion (5.8%) Aircraft, spacecraft: $80.9 billion (5.7%) Plastics, plastic articles: $60.2 billion (4.2%) Gems, precious metals: $60 billion (4.2%) Pharmaceuticals: $53.9 billion (3.8%) Organic chemicals: $34 billion (2.4%)
Half of the top export categories declined year over year: aircraft and spacecraft (down -40.5%), mineral fuels including oil (down -22.4%), vehicles (down -21%), organic chemicals (down -13.6%) and machinery including computers (down -11.3%).
...but we do have our currency (aka worthless paper)
Here is a bigger part of why sanctions mean nothing:
Here’s Why the Russian Sanctions Are a Dud: Big Foreign Banks from the U.S., France, Austria and Italy Are Operating in a “Routine Manner” in Russia
I've heard the city of London is basically a financial proxy for trades like this, just like people using a web proxy to reach servers and pages in countries you normally would be blocked from access to.
And the EU wanting to audit this was a prime motivator for BREXIT to stop all those mystery bookkeeping records from ever seeing the light of day, because of the interests and power behind the size of the trades being made.
But dont try and explain that to joe, he thinks international trade is people hauling around sacks of nickels through the snow up and over mountain ranges and across borders. Like hunter does with his crack stash when he goes traveling.
London is nothing more than a currency hub. When nations exchange currency on an international level will leave the door open for all kinds of corruption as well as political intrigue. The proper way to handle major trade between nations is through a barter system. This would keep the books clean and keep the hyenas out ( Hyenas like Soros). Money exchanges would still exist but, on a much much smaller scale.