Russian steelmaker stops supplies to EU Impact of sanctions on Russia-China trade seen limited Russia’s metals industry is expected to lean on China as an export market following sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now Russian steelmaker Severstal said March 2 it was looking at alternative markets to export steel after facing challenges with European customers. China has been a major buyer of Russian aluminum, nickel, copper and metallurgical coal, but steel trade between the two has been negligible and limited to semi-finished products. Rich in natural resources, Russia is the world’s third-largest coal (thermal and coking) exporter and fourth-largest exporter of aluminum. It also has a decent market share for copper, steel and nickel exports. While recently, steel trade between Russia and China has remained thin, the pressure of sanctions on Russia’s billet exports […]