Ireland is under mounting pressure to end its alumina sales to Russia, as the risk of propping up Moscow's war machine becomes an explosive liability.
The government in Dublin is weighing whether to allow EU sanctions on the raw material, which is sold as a white powder and is essential to the manufacture of aluminium, which is commonly found in weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine.
However, no decision will be taken until an internal probe to determine the final destination of alumina exports is completed. The probe is in its final stages.
"We will discuss (the findings) with the European Commission, but the Commission has never put alumina on a sanctions list, so that's an important point, nor have we had to lobby, in any shape or form, in respect of this issue," Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said on Thursday during a briefing attended by Euronews.
The deliberations, Martin noted, should take into account the potential disruption to local jobs, the environment and Europe's alumina supply chain. Once these "various factors" are considered, the premier said, Dublin will "develop an approach" with the Commission to deal with the "core issue" – a promise that stops short of committing to sanctions.
