EU continues to buy goods from Moscow despite 11 packages of sanctions
Despite 11 packages of sanctions, the EU continues to buy goods from Moscow. From March 2022 to July 2023, the EU imported more than 13 billion euros worth of raw materials from Russia, according to the Italian newspaper IL Fatto Quotidiano, Azernews reports.
According to the European Policy Centre, up to 90% of some nickel comes from Russian suppliers.
"Why? Because they are critical," says David O'Sullivan, an EU sanctions specialist. But the situation is not limited to nickel alone at all.
German copper powder producer GGP Metalpowder bought $66 million worth of copper from Russia, French arms manufacturer Safran bought $25 million worth of titanium, and Greek ElvalHalcor bought $13 million worth of aluminium.
The bottom line is that the EU continues to be dependent on Russia for critical raw materials. No package of sanctions changes this situation, but rather makes life more difficult for the Europeans themselves by raising the price of resources they need.
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