NATO members are being told by Donald Trump to stop buying Russian oil.
Indeed, the US president appears to have made this a condition of him considering potentially tough new sanctions against Russia.
All this is timely not least as the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, had been expected to publish its 19th package of Russia sanctions Wednesday, 17 September.These are now expected at the end of this week or Monday.
“Depriving Moscow of the funds to wage a war is essential to end this conflict,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, announced.
Her comments come after EU parliament president Roberta Metsola met the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, and addressed the Verkhovna Rada on 17 September. The MEP said, “Europe will not back down in its support to Ukraine. We will continue to weaken Russia’s war machine through coordinated and strong sanctions.”
Belgium, as an EU and also Nato member, has fully backed the series of sanctions already placed on Russia.
Belgium is, of course, part of the Coalition of the Willing and will contribute alongside the 26 countries committed to deploying troops or equipment to post-war Ukraine
But, even so, it is reported that a record amount of liquefied gas from Russia arrived on the Belgian market last year, according to the annual Belgian Energy Data Overview. Of gas consumed by Belgian households and businesses in 2024 8.7% is said to have come by ship from Russia.Russia was (after Norway) reportedly Belgium’s second-largest supplier in 2024.
It has been estimated by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, an independent body, that Belgium was the second-largest European importer of Russian fossil fuels in June, with their purchases totalling €300m. Hungary was the biggest importer with France being the third largest.
The organisation says Belgium’s imports of LNG from Russia rose by 12% month-on-month, in line with a 12% increase in total LNG imports in June.
The EU wants to completely phase out Russian gas by the end of 2027.
It is also estimated that the Brussels-based clearing house Euroclear holds the lion’s share of sanctioned Russian wealth in Europe – estimated at more than €180bn public and private assets which the EU froze following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
But attention is now increasingly shifting to a sometimes little reported aspect of Western sanctions against Moscow… the continued absence of titanium from what is the ever growing sanctions list.
Calls are now growing in Washington, Brussels and London to sanction Russia’s titanium industry, as Western policymakers, including EU lawmakers, face mounting pressure to close what critics describe as a significant loophole in the sanctions regime targeting Moscow.
Such calls are particularly timely: President Trump, apparently growing increasingly impatient with Vladimir Putin and keen to force the Russian leader’s hand, is said to be set to announce a cache of tough sanctions against Russia but it is understood this could hinge on Europe agreeing to turn off Russian oil.
Now into its third year, the war in Ukraine has prompted sweeping Western measures to cut off Russian energy exports and isolate key sectors of its economy. But one vital material—titanium—has remained largely exempt, amid concerns over supply chain disruptions in aerospace and defense.
That carve-out is increasingly under scrutiny.
Titanium’s strength, low weight and resistance to corrosion make it indispensable in advanced manufacturing, especially for aircraft and military applications. While not rare, it is difficult and costly to refine. Russia, through VSMPO-AVISMA, the world’s largest producer of aerospace-grade titanium, has long been a dominant player in the market.Prior to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Urals-based company is believed to have supplied as much as 60% of Airbus’s titanium needs and an estimated 80% of Boeing’s, according to industry officials. To prevent a shock to global aerospace production, titanium was excluded from initial sanctions packages.
Three years later, that rationale is losing ground.
Both Airbus and Boeing have since reportedly diversified their supply chains, tapping U.S., European and Asian producers and drawing down stockpiles. Airbus is now reported to source just 20% of its titanium from Russia, with executives signaling further reductions ahead. Boeing has deepened its ties with domestic and allied producers.
“Major aerospace firms have restructured their supply chains significantly,” said a senior European trade official told this site. “The risk of serious disruption has diminished.”
Investment in alternative capacity has accelerated. French manufacturer Aubert & Duval completed upgrades to a key forging press once reliant on Russian input. U.S. companies such as ATI Titanium and TIMET have expanded smelting and forging operations. Japan, Kazakhstan and Bahrain have also increased output, offering fresh options for Western buyers.
These shifts are already impacting the Russian titanium sector. Analysts claim that VSMPO’s sponge production has dropped since the war began. Most of its current output is now said to feed domestic consumption.
Still, Russia remains a significant player in the titanium supply chain.
For now, titanium remains one of the few strategic commodities Russia still exports to the West with relative ease. That may soon change.
“A coordinated move by the EU, along with the U.S. and U.K. would mark a turning point,” said a former U.S. trade official. “It would close a significant gap in the sanctions framework and send a clear signal that no sector is off limits indefinitely.”
As Western allies recalibrate their economic response to a protracted conflict, titanium may be the next domino to fall.
