Robert Agee, the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, told the SPIEF meeting on June 18 that American businesses which left Russia after the launching of sanctions are anxious to come back to Russia. He said that the vast majority of American businesses view Russia as a strategic market.
“American businesses welcome the Trump administration’s efforts to renew dialogue with Moscow, in hopes that they can return to the Russian market,” Agee told RT. The AmCham has supported President Donald Trump’s efforts to restore relations with Russia since he assumed office in January, and has called on Washington for months to ease the sanctions on Russia. “It’s better to have good business relations between Russia and the United States,” Agee told RT at the SPIEF 2025.
The companies that remained in Russia after 2022, despite the sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and pressure from Washington, ended up benefitting in the long run, he asserted. “Consumer goods companies, confectionary producers, pharmaceutical and medical equipment suppliers … all those companies have stayed, and they’re very active and they’re very successful,” he said.
