Yle has learned that the EU does not plan to add Russian nickel to its sanctions list.

The EU does not plan to impose sanctions on Russian nickel, despite political demands to tighten restrictions. This is due to the metal's importance to the Union's defense industry, Yle reports.

The European Union has no plans to add Russian nickel, which is strategically important for the defense industry, to its sanctions list, Yle reports.

Thus, nickel is absent from the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which the European Commission presented on September 19 , although EU politicians have long been demanding stricter restrictions, the article states.

Russian nickel is used, among other things, in electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, and for defense industry needs. If the EU were to ban Russian nickel, its global price would rise sharply, and jobs in the industry would be at risk due to rising costs, the publication writes.

"This is an ethically highly unacceptable situation. The more we buy from Russia, the stronger its military industry becomes," said Merja Kyllönen, a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Security and Defence Policy.

In 2024 , the EU purchased $1 billion worth of Russian nickel, and $300 million worth in the first quarter of 2025. Russia's largest nickel producer and exporter, Norilsk Nickel, holds a 16% share of the global market, according to the company's website.

Norilsk Nickel currently does not disclose the geography of its sales. The European Union itself produces approximately 3% of all refined nickel globally.

Last fall, President Vladimir Putin proposed "considering certain restrictions on supplies to foreign markets" of uranium, titanium, nickel, and a number of other goods, emphasizing that "we shouldn't do anything to harm ourselves." Russian authorities consider the sanctions illegal.

The 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia has been agreed upon with the United States and will be adopted soon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on September 22.

The European Union intends, among other things, to lower the price ceiling for RussianOil prices rose to $47.6 per barrel, restrictive measures were imposed on the Mir payment system, the export of certain ores, metals, chemicals, and salts was banned, and sanctions were imposed on 45 Russian and foreign companies. Furthermore, the European Commission proposed imposing sanctions on third countries for alleged assistance to the Russian military-industrial complex and phasing out Russian liquefied natural gas by 2027.

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