In response to what he called Russia’s “unjustified” war against Ukraine, and the negative effects the war is having on global energy prices and the United States aluminum industry, President Joe Biden has imposed a 200% tariff on Russian aluminum products.

According to a statement released by the White House, the Russian aluminum industry is a key part of Russia’s defense industrial base and has played a major role in supplying Russia with weapons and ammunition used in the war.

The tariffs, which are designed to protect the viability of the US’s domestic aluminum industry, are as follows:

• As of March 10, 2023, a 200% ad valorem tariff on aluminum articles that are the product of Russia and derivative aluminum articles that are the product of Russia
• As of April 10, 2023 a 200% ad valorem tariff on aluminum articles where any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the aluminum articles is smelted in Russia, or the aluminum articles are cast in Russia, and derivative aluminum articles where any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the derivative aluminum articles is smelted in Russia, or the derivative aluminum articles are cast in Russia.

Russia remains the fifth largest source of imported aluminum in the United States, and the imports of aluminum from Russia have increased in both 2021 and 2022. United States imports of Russian aluminum increased by 53 percent between March and July 2022.

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