A cross-party group of 47 Members of the European Parliament has sent a joint letter to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, demanding immediate action to halt exports of alumina from Ireland to Russia. The lawmakers argue that the material, refined at the Aughinish Alumina plant in County Limerick, is directly feeding Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
The European Commission recently proposed its 21st sanctions package targeting key Russian sectors since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Alumina, a critical raw material for aluminium production used in drones and missiles, was notably absent from the list. The MEPs call this omission a serious mistake that must be corrected without delay.
Evidence of Military Use
The letter cites an investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which found that alumina from Aughinish is shipped to smelters in Russia's Siberia region. From there, the aluminium is used in weapons systems deployed against Ukraine, including drones and missiles. The MEPs describe the evidence as incontrovertible.
“That decision is a serious mistake – and the facts now demand it be corrected,” the letter states. The signatories span the political spectrum, from the far left to the right, led by Dutch MEP Bart Groothuis (Renew Europe).
Ireland's Role and EU Response
According to Ireland's Central Statistics Office, 83 percent of Irish alumina exports went to Russia in recent months. Aughinish has disputed that figure, claiming it is a clerical error and that the real share is around 45 percent. The plant is controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin.
EU institutions have so far treated the matter as a domestic Irish issue. Dublin launched an inquiry into the company's export practices, but during a visit to the Irish capital this week, Kallas urged the government to clarify the situation. Ireland is set to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of the year, adding political weight to the debate.
Strategic Dependency
The MEPs' letter warns that Europe's reliance on Aughinish for roughly 30 percent of its alumina needs mirrors the dependency Russia cultivated with natural gas before the war. “These are legitimate economic concerns, and we do not dismiss them. But they describe a dependency that Russia has deliberately engineered, running the same playbook it ran with gas,” the letter reads.
The lawmakers propose a public-private partnership to redirect Aughinish's output to European buyers, similar to the approach the United States took to reduce reliance on Chinese rare earth supplies. They call on the Commission to assess Europe's alumina refining capacity, secure long-term offtake commitments from European smelters, and include alumina in the 22nd sanctions package.
The push comes amid broader efforts to tighten the noose on Russia's war economy. Recent EU accession talks with Ukraine have advanced, while UK forces have boarded a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the English Channel, signalling a coordinated Western response to sanctions evasion.
For now, the ball is in the EU's court. The MEPs expect a formal response from Kallas and Šefčovič, and have made clear they will continue to press the issue until alumina is added to the sanctions list.
