David O’Sullivan is a busy senior civil servant. Special envoy of the European Union (EU) for the implementation of sanctions against Russia, this white Irishman under the Brussels harness is responsible for verifying that she does not circumvent them. This it has been doing with some success since the entry into force of the first package, at the start of the war against Ukraine, in February 2022.
Brussels has not dried up all trade with Russia, despite sanctions on oil and coal, strategic components, companies, bosses and politicians. New sanctions are added over the months. At the beginning of March, a thirteenth package covered two hundred entities and individuals, without touching a particular sector, after the ban on the diamond trade on 1er January. The EU was protesting against the death of Vladimir Putin opponent Alexeï Navalny on February 16 in a prison camp in the Arctic.
But gas, oil and uranium are still exchanged, even indirectly. Without forgetting certain metals, a lucrative activity for Moscow, although the sanctions have reduced the value of trade, from 23 billion euros in 2022, to 14 billion in 2023.
Copper camouflaged as scrap metal
The United States and the United Kingdom announced, on Friday April 12, a ban on the import of aluminum, copper and nickel produced in Russia, as well as restrictions on the trading of over-the-counter derivatives. graciously. Crucial for their trade, the London and Chicago metal exchanges will no longer be able to accept them.
“This will prevent the Kremlin from injecting more money into its war machine”, assured Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom. The sanctions are having effects, according to Russian customs figures: in 2023, exports of goods from Russia to the Old Continent fell by 68%, and by 28% at the global level, proof that trade with countries refusing sanctions Sanctions have not compensated for the loss of the European market.
However, each day brings its share of workarounds. At the same time as the Treasury announced the metals embargo, American leaders revealed that China supports Moscow’s arms production through the sale of machine tools, electronic components and technology for drones or missiles. The two countries exchange copper disguised as scrap metal, reveals Reuters. And floods of goods imported from the West by Turkey, the Arabian Gulf and Central Asia are re-exported to Russia to support its war effort. It would take ten Mr. O’Sullivans to monitor all this traffic…