“Russia cannot quickly rebuild its own raw-materials base, cannot fully replace critical imports, and cannot sustain its military-industrial complex without external supplies. This makes strategic minerals one of the most underestimated pressure points on the Russian war economy,” POLITICO Pro Morning Trade reports, citing research by the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU).
Materials like molybdenum, manganese and ferroniobium — all used in military production — should be targeted by banning trade with distributors and preventing re-export via the EU. On top of that, Brussels should step up efforts to discourage third countries from making such materials available to Russia.
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