The EU imported more steel from Russia in 2025. The European Parliament now sees a unique chance to ban it.
The EU already had its work cut out to agree to impose a 50 percent tariff on steel imports by a summer deadline. Now, an attempt by lawmakers to graft a ban on Russian steel onto the measure has made things a lot more complicated.
With the four-year mark of Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine looming this month, European lawmakers have broadly backed amendments that would allow Brussels to shut out all Russian steel, choking off an important source of export revenue for the Kremlin’s war economy.
By bolting their proposal on to the measure to overhaul steel industry protections that is already in the works, MEPs hope to halt Russian steel exports where earlier attempts to sanction them failed because such a step would require the unanimous support of the 27 EU member countries.
Shipping costs.