Isolated by Western sanctions, Russian metals producers are increasingly turning to China, which has gone from being a primary competitor to a principal client. The EU’s fourteenth sanctions package adopted in April included bans on imports of Russian aluminium, copper and nickel, all critical inputs for producing a wide range of goods from drinks cans to semiconductors and electric vehicles (EV). Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent sanctions, Russia has increasingly been forced to redirect its metal exports from Europe to China. Rusal, Russia’s top alu…