Some Satakunta MPs oppose national sanctions on Russian nickel

Russian nickel continues to flow to Harjavalta for processing, and some MPs from the Satakunta region oppose Finland imposing its own sanctions, Yle reports. Russian nickel ore is not on the European Union’s sanctions list, in part because it is a critical raw material for industries including battery and defence manufacturing.

The debate intensified on Wednesday as a citizens’ initiative calling for Russian nickel to be added to the sanctions list began collecting signatures. Last week, the chairmanship of Parliament’s Ukraine group submitted a written question to the government that raised the possibility of national sanctions. The group includes MPs Oras Tynkkynen, Mikko Savola and Aleksi Jäntti.

Jäntti said tighter sanctions could help Ukraine by limiting Russia’s ability to finance its war. He compared continued nickel imports with Hungary’s reliance on Russian energy.

Other Satakunta MPs urged caution. SDP MP Krista Kiuru said policymakers must weigh reducing dependence on Russian raw materials against protecting the operating conditions of Finnish industry. She added that EU sanctions are decided jointly by member states.

Centre Party MP Eeva Kalli supports the EU’s tightening sanctions policy but does not consider extending sanctions to nickel justified. She said new measures should be assessed for whether they would cause more harm to Russia or to Finland and Europe.

SDP MP Juha Viitala also opposed Finland acting alone on nickel sanctions, citing the Harjavalta refinery’s importance to the regional economy and employment. He said sanctions could affect hundreds of direct jobs and up to 1,000 indirect jobs.

Nornickel’s Harjavalta plant is wholly Russian-owned. Russian nickel ore has continued to be processed there throughout Russia’s war against Ukraine.