The U.S. and EU countries have increased imports of Russian nickel and aluminum over the past three months.
Reuters, citing the UN statistical database UN Comtrade, reports that from March to June the growth of import volumes was 70%, and this despite logistical difficulties due to the situation in Ukraine, and the idea-fix to deprive Russia of income.
The agency notes that the collective West spent a total of about $1.98 billion buying metals from Russia, with the EU remaining the largest importer of Russian crude aluminum.
When asked by Reuters about these figures, a U.S. State Department spokesman said he did not rule out further imposition of sanctions on metals from Russia. The European Commission left the request without comment.