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The European Union must close all loopholes that allow Russia to obtain materials needed to manufacture weapons used in its war against Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, UATV English reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Dublin alongside Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee, Kallas stressed that the EU must continue targeting Russia’s ability to finance and sustain its war effort.
“The EU will continue to target Russian revenues in order to force Moscow to stop this war. But we must deprive Russia not only of money, but also of the resources necessary to finance and wage this war,” she said.
Kallas noted that she had discussed reports suggesting that sanctioned Russian defense companies may be benefiting from significant volumes of alumina supplied from Ireland.
“As the minister said, investigations into these allegations are ongoing. Alumina is currently not subject to EU sanctions. Europe must close all loopholes, strengthen sanctions enforcement, and ensure that our commitments are backed by action. No European product should end up in the drones and missiles that kill Ukrainian civilians,” Kallas emphasized.
Commenting on the investigation involving the Aughinish Alumina plant, she said it is important for the EU to establish all the facts.
“We trust the Irish government to conduct this investigation,” she added.
Asked why alumina was not included in the EU’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia, Kallas said the case demonstrates that the bloc must further examine the issue to ensure that Russia cannot access materials required to continue the war, whether metals, petroleum products, or other strategic resources.
“We must be creative when designing future sanctions. Our goal is for this war to end, and it will end when the aggressor runs out of either money or materials to continue it,” she said, noting that all EU member states must ultimately agree on sanctions measures.
Earlier, Helen McEntee confirmed that Ireland is investigating exports from Aughinish Alumina, which supplies alumina to Russia. Alumina is used in the production of aluminum, a material important to Russia’s defense industry. While aluminum exports to Russia are restricted under EU sanctions, alumina itself is not currently subject to an EU ban.
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