ROME, March 29. /TASS/. The volume of imports from Russia to Italy decreased by 80% year-on-year in February, according to the data the Italian National Institute of Statistics published on trade with countries outside the European Union.

Italy’s imports from China (-14.2%) and the United States (-9.7%) also decreased. In the meantime, imports from OPEC countries (+41.0%) and the UK (+34.7%) increased the most.

Overall, Italy's imports fell 6.8% year-on-year in February, "driven by lower purchases of energy carriers (-12.8%), intermediate goods (-8.9%) and consumer durables (-14.9%)", notes the institute.

However, it is indicated that exports in February 2023 increased by 17.0%. On an annual basis, exports of Italian goods and services increased to China (+131.4%), Turkey (+26.2%) and the US (+18.2%).