ECONOMIC WORLD WAR! US, UK Ban Deliveries Of Russian Copper, Nickel And Aluminum To Western Metals Exchanges: Here’s What This Means

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On Friday, the US and UK imposed new restrictions on trading Russian aluminum, copper and nickel in the latest hollow bid to curb President Vladimir Putin’s ability to fund his war machine (as discussed previously, Russian oil is now trading above the western embargo “cap” price virtually everywhere).

According to Bloomberg, the rules prohibit delivery of new supplies from Russia to the London Metal Exchange, where the global benchmark prices are set, as well as to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The restrictions apply to copper, nickel and aluminum produced on or after April 13, and the US is also banning Russian imports of all three metals.

Yet like the case of oil sanctions, the decision is purely for popular theater as it will not prevent Russia from being able to sell its metals, since the sanctions do not prevent non-US persons and entities from buying physical Russian copper, nickel or aluminum. While the LME plays a pivotal role in setting global prices, the vast majority of metals are bought and sold between miners, traders and manufacturers without ever seeing the inside of an LME warehouse. Already since 2022, the share of Russian metals sales to China has increased substantially, as some western buyers sought alternative suppliers.

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