28 may 2024 — 12:00
The European Union increased purchases of Russian iron, steel and aluminum in March, mainly due to a multiple increase in demand from Belgium and Germany, RIA Novosti reported, citing European statistics.
Thus, in March, Moscow became the second main supplier of iron and steel to the European Union, increasing exports by 1.7 times in monthly terms to 328 million euros. This was the highest since May 2023, when the countries of the association purchased these metals for 369 million euros.
Belgium became the main buyer, which increased purchases 3.5 times in the first month of spring to 130.5 million euros. This was the largest purchase for the country since June 2022. Italy increased purchases by a quarter — to 85 million euros, and Denmark — by 30%, to 35.1 million euros. The top five buyers also include the Czech Republic (23 million euros) and the Netherlands (20 million euros).
At the same time, Hungary resumed purchases after a four-month break, purchasing iron and steel for 13.7 million euros.
At the same time, aluminum supplies increased by 29% month—on-month to 91.4 million euros, which was the highest since October last year. The increase was due to an increase in purchases by Germany — fivefold, to 22.4 million euros. Spain (+69%) and Poland (+21%) also actively increased imports.