US Ban On The Trade Of Metals From Russia Due To Political Reasons

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov, while still serving as Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, spoke in an interview with Xinhua in Moscow, Russia, April 17, 2016. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

JAKARTA - Russian ambassador in Washington Anatoly Antonov said the United States' ban on Russia's aluminum, copper and nickel trades was an unjustified and political move.

The strict ban announced against Russia's aluminum, copper, and nickel trades is another unjustified and politicized move. Moreover, this action is not just a'shot at the feet', but a blind shot," Antonov said as reported by Antara on Saturday.

The US decision, he said, was most likely based on the calculation that natural resource prices would not skyrocket in the US market. "The government can easily create imbalances in the world market by involving its satellite countries in imposing sanctions," he said.

Mereka (pemerintah AS) menggambarkan langkah-langkah tidak sah mereka sebagai bukti 'keketempinan' dalam membatan Rusia. Dan juga sebagai upaya untuk menghambat keberhasilan kami dalam operasi militer khusus (di Ukraina), ujarnya.

Antonov's statement came after the US State Asset Control Office (OFAC) said in a notice on Friday (12/4) that the US was banning imports of Russian aluminum, copper, and nickel. However, the new rules do not include Russian aluminum, copper, and nickel produced before April 13, 2024.

The US Treasury through its press release on Friday said that metal exchanges Landdon Metal Exchange (LME) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) were prohibited from receiving Russian-produced aluminum, copper, and nickel.

On the other hand, Britain has followed US steps to impose sanctions on Russia regarding metal trade, according to a statement on the UK government's website.

LME and CME will no longer trade Russia's new aluminum, copper, and nickel, according to the statement. It was also stated that the actions of Britain and the US do not apply to Russian metal stocks on the stock exchange.