In March this year, the European Union increased purchases of iron, steel and aluminium from Russia due to growing demand in Belgium and Germany. This was reported by RIA Novosti news agency with reference to European statistics.
In March, Russia became the second major supplier of iron and steel to the European Union, with exports up 1.7 times to 328 million euros. This figure was the highest since May 2023, when the countries of the association bought 369 million euros worth of these metals.
The leader in purchases was Belgium, which in the first month of spring increased imports 3.5 times – up to 130.5 million euros. This was the largest purchase for the country since June 2022. Italy increased its purchases by a quarter to 85 million euros, while Denmark increased its purchases by 30% to 35.1 million euros. The Czech Republic (23 million euros) and the Netherlands (20 million euros) were also among the top five buyers. Hungary also resumed imports after a four-month hiatus, buying €13.7 million worth of iron and steel.
Aluminium shipments in March rose 29% month-on-month to 91.4 million euros, the highest since October last year. The increase was due to the increase in purchases by Germany – fivefold, to 22.4 million euros. Spain (+69%) and Poland (+21%) also actively increased imports.
Recall, earlier the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said that Russia is going through a difficult period in Russian history. He emphasised that under the emerging conditions of the new global reality, “someone is seeking” to maintain its fading hegemony through Russia.