The 20th package of sanctions the European Union will adopt against Russia ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war will include import bans on more Russian metals and critical minerals worth over Eur570 million ($679 million), according to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
She did not specify Feb. 6 which metals and minerals will become subject to restrictions. Also, an EC spokesperson declined to name them, saying, ‘We will be in a position to provide more information once the proposal is approved by the European Council.”
In January-November 2025, the EU imported $2.1 billion worth of Russian ferrous metals, of which steel slab comprised $1.6 billion, with pig iron and direct reduced/hot briquetted iron being the next largest imports at $266 million and $196 million, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Global Trade Analytics Suite.
However, Russia’s sales of ferrous metals in the EU have this year become limited to slabs. Quotas for their imports will remain in place through Sept. 30, 2028, with bans on Russian pig iron and DRI/HBI in full effect since January.
Russian slabs — those produced by NLMK — remain an important source of feedstock for rerolling in Europe because of NBH, NLMK’s joint venture with Belgian state-backed investment fund Wallonie Entreprendre. NBH owns strip and plate mills in Belgium, Denmark, France and Italy that depend on slabs from NLMK’s Novolipetsk steelworks for their combined maximal output in excess of 3.1 million mt/year of steel.
Russian nickel was the second-largest import item in monetary terms, with $965.2 million imported in January-November, according to Market Intelligence. The volume was largely stable year over year, but compared with the same 11 months of 2023, contracted by 42.5%.
Nickel matte accounted for $653.4 million of the total, with the entire amount imported by one EU country: Finland. It is home to Harjavalta refinery, which receives most of its feedstock — nickel matte – from its parent company, Russian nickel, copper and platinum group metals producer Nornickel.
In January-November, the EU imported $812.9 million worth of Russian aluminum, 6% less year over year. Compared with the same period two years ago, imports slumped by 48%.
2026 will see minimal volumes of Russian aluminum entering the EU as a result of a ban on unwrought aluminum imports from Russia that the EU adopted with the 16th sanctions package in February 2025. The ban has been phased in gradually, following the use-up of a 275,000 mt quota over a 12-month period, and so will be fully implemented this year.
In January-November, the EU also imported $279.2 million of Russian copper, of which $242.8 million is refined copper; these imports were 15% lower year over year, and when compared with the same period in 2023, they reduced by half, according to Market Intelligence.
The bloc’s imports of platinum group metals from Russia, at $328.5 million, of which palladium comprised $328.4 million, declined too, by 12% from January-November 2024 and almost halved from two years ago.
Only the EU’s imports of Russian titanium remained stable compared both with last year and earlier periods: At $213.5 million they were flat year over year and only 5% lower in monetary terms compared with January-November 2024, according to Market Intelligence.
Given the $679 million reduction envisaged in metals inflows, long-standing vertical integrations between NLMK and European rerollers, and Nornickel and nickel refining operations in Finland, as well as Europe’s reliance on Russian titanium, the pending new sanctions could target copper and PGMs.
