Alcoa asks White House to block U.S. imports of Russian aluminum

(Repeating for more subscribers, no changes)
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By Ernest Scheyder

Oct 13 (Reuters) – U.S.-based aluminum producer Alcoa
Inc on Thursday said it is lobbying the White House to
block American imports of the metal from Russia following
Moscow’s latest military escalation in Ukraine.

Reuters reported this week that President Joe Biden’s
administration was considering a range of options related to
imports of Russian aluminum, including possibly blocking Rusal
, the world’s largest aluminum producer outside China,
from selling its products in the United States.

In March, Biden banned American imports of Russian oil and
other energy products. Aluminum was exempt due in part to
concerns that such a step could boost consumer prices. Aluminum
is used in a range of consumer products as well as airplanes,
automobiles and other heavy machinery.

As Russia’s

invasion

of Ukraine has dragged on this year, Washington has been
left with fewer Russian industries to sanction, fueling interest
in blocking American purchases of Russian aluminum.

Moscow bombarded Ukraine with more than 100 missiles
this week, killing at least 26 people in what Biden called a
“brutal” attack.

“Alcoa believes that the U.S. government and other
countries should sanction Russian aluminum,” spokesperson Jim
Beck said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Thursday. The
company stopped buying from Russian businesses and selling into
Russia in March.

Separately, Alcoa said it has asked the London Metal
Exchange to delist Russian aluminum, saying the global contract
for the metal “will be disproportionately influenced by one
brand that much of the Western world has rejected and would not
properly reflect supply and demand dynamics.”

Rusal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Any move against Rusal or Russia’s aluminum industry
would likely benefit Alcoa as well as its non-Russian peers.

Century Aluminum Co did not respond to requests for
comment. Rio Tinto , which produces aluminum as well as
other metals, declined to comment.
(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Additional reporting by Trevor
Hunnicutt; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio)
((ernest.scheyder@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @ErnestScheyder;
+1-713-210-8512; Reuters Messaging:
ernest.scheyder.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: UKRAINE CRISIS/USA ALCOA CORP (UPDATE 1, REPEAT)

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