The European Commission will restrict access to goods which could be used by Russia to produce military equipment, the European Union’s chief sanctions envoy has said.David O’Sullivan, a former Irish diplomat, made the comments as pressure grows within the EU parliament for the bloc to restrict the export of alumina from Ireland to Russia. In March an Irish Times investigation, carried out in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, found the Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia where it is used to make aluminium.This aluminium is then sold to trading company ASK, which supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers, according to leaked financial documents. The manufacturers make a wide variety of missiles, tanks and other weapons used in the war against Ukraine.O’Sullivan, a former ambassador and senior Irish civil servant, told The Irish Times that the findings of the investigations were “worrying”.“I am convinced that no legitimate European business is willing to sell goods to Russia that ultimately feed the military-industrial complex. Russia is continuing its war crimes and uses missiles and drones directly to target innocent civilians in Ukraine,” he said.He said the commission would continue to undermine Russia’s ability to wage its “war of aggression” against Ukraine “including by restricting access to commodities that could be processed and then used for the production of military equipment”.Bilateral trade between the EU and Russia has decreased by 75 per cent due to sanctions imposed following the invasion four years ago, O’Sullivan said.However, alumina does not fall within these sanctions. Alumina exports from Aughinish to Russia doubled in the years following the invasion.Citing the investigation, European Parliament vice-president Pina Picierno recently wrote to the commission asking if alumina would be included in the next sanctions package targeting Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.A group of 39 MEPs have also written to high representative for foreign affairs Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for trade Maroš Šefčovič demanding that the EU stop the “export of aluminium agreements to the Russian defence industry” and further review the findings of the investigation.Speaking on RTÉ Radio at the weekend, Taoiseach Micheál Martin indicated the Government will continue to support Aughinish Alumina, which employs hundreds of people in the region.“There are no restrictions on Aughinish Alumina, and there haven’t been, and Europe hasn’t proposed them,” he said.The Taoiseach said the sanctions “were never designed to punish Europe, or indeed to punish Ireland, more than Russia.”If restrictions were introduced “it would be devastating for Aughinish and all those working there as well,” he added.Martin said there the Government was keeping “everything under review” but said there was “no new developments per se” in an investigation previously launched by the Department of Enterprise and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade into the matter.