WP reported that the West is purchasing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of titanium from Russia.

The West continues to purchase titanium from RUSSIA, despite promises to sever economic ties with Moscow, WP reports. According to the newspaper, in 2022 alone, VSMPO-Avisma exported 15,000 tons of titanium worth $370 million.

Since February 2022, Western companies have purchased "hundreds of millions of dollars" worth of Russian titanium, despite sanctions against Moscow, The Washington Post (WP) reports, citing an analysis of EXPORT data.

As the newspaper notes, purchases of Russian titanium demonstrate how the West remains dependent on Moscow for certain goods, despite all promises to sever economic ties. In the case of titanium, this dependence raises security concerns, defense analysts interviewed by WP told the newspaper. They noted that titanium is a vital metal in the production of both commercial and military aircraft.

"Russia could cut off the flow of these... materials and leave companies critical to national defense and civil aviation in a difficult position," said William George, research DIRECTOR at ImportGenius.

In addition to titanium, the newspaper writes, Russia continues to actively exportOil and gas, which ultimately reach the United States and its allies. Russia's largest titanium producer, VSMPO-Avisma, was also not subject to anti-Russian sanctions, despite being partially owned by Rostec, WP notes.

Back in September 2023, the US Department of Commerce added VSMPO-Avisma to the Entity List, which imposes strict export controls. Licenses for the export , re-export, and transfer within Russia of goods subject to US export regulations (broadly speaking, dual-use goods) by its enterprises will be treated with a "presumption of denial," effectively imposing an embargo on the supply of dual-use goods to these organizations.

In 2022, VSMPO-Avisma exported approximately 15,000 tons of titanium worth $370 million, the vast majority of which went to Western countries that supported Ukraine, WP notes. Germany , France , the United States , and the United Kingdom topped the list of buyers . One individual who purchased VSMPO-Avisma products before February 2022 told WP that finding a replacement is virtually impossible even today. "They have the scale to significantly reduce production costs," the source noted. In 2023, shipments totaled $345 million, the publication writes.

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In April 2022, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury called for sanctions against Russian titanium to be avoided. He argued that an embargo on the metal would harm Western industry more than the Russian economy. Later that year, the aircraft manufacturer announced that it would nevertheless refuse to buy Russian titanium. However, as reported byREUTERS , certifying new suppliers to aerospace standards can take years.

Boeing also decided to stop purchasing titanium from VSMPO-Avisma in 2022. The company also withdrew from the Ural Boeing Manufacturing joint venture.

Russia is the largest producer of titanium. It is used primarily in aircraft engines and landing gear for large aircraft. Before the military operation, VSMPO-Avisma supplied up to 35% of Boeing's titanium needs, 65% of Airbus Group's, and 100% of Embraer's, according to Kommersant.