ORIGINAL PAPER
The impact of the war in Ukraine on the supply of selected raw materials to Poland and to the European Union
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1
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków
2
M.S. Poliakov Institute of Geotechnical Mechanics of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Dnipro
Submission date: 2025-05-19
Final revision date: 2025-06-23
Acceptance date: 2025-07-23
Publication date: 2025-09-26
Corresponding author
Ewa Danuta Lewicka
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków
Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management 2025;41(3):5-43
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This article provides an up-to-date picture of the consequences of Russia’s armed aggression (supported by Belarus) against Ukraine for the economy of selected non-energy mineral raw materials in Poland and the European Union. Three years from February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, escalating a conflict that began in 2014, it is possible to assess the implications of the war for the Polish industry, as well as its impact on the EU due to the disruption of supplies of certain mineral raw materials from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The article also highlights the current challenges facing the Ukrainian mining and processing industry due to limited logistics and war damage, particularly in the eastern part of the country. One of the most significant phenomena to emerge following the outbreak of full-scale conflict is the need to rebuild raw material supply chains in European Union countries. Among the non-energy commodities imported from countries involved in the war, the most significant in terms of value of supply and actual share in satisfying demand in Poland were selected: iron ores and concentrates, carbon black, ferroalloys, nickel, kaolinitic clays (ball and refractory clays), aluminium, potassium salts, lithium oxides and hydroxides. The sectors most at risk from reduced supplies of these minerals have also been identified. These are mainly the iron and steel, and non-ferrous metals industries, and consequently the construction, transport, machinery, engineering, and other related industries, as well as the ceramics industry. Possible measures to reduce supply disruptions for the raw materials analysed include finding new sources (diversification of imports, substitution, growth of domestic production) and improving the efficiency of recycling and the use of secondary raw materials.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their effort and comments, which greatly improved the quality of this manuscript.
FUNDING
The article was written as the statutory work of the Department of Mineral Policy at the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Polish
Wpływ wojny w Ukrainie na dostawy wybranych surowców do Polski i Unii Europejskiej
wojna rosyjsko-ukraińska, UE, handel, surowce, zakłócenia w łańcuchu dostaw
W artykule przedstawiono konsekwencje agresji zbrojnej Rosji (wspieranej przez Białoruś) na Ukrainę dla gospodarki wybranymi nieenergetycznymi surowcami mineralnymi w Polsce i Unii Europejskiej. Po trzech latach od inwazji można ocenić implikacje wojny dla polskiego przemysłu, a także jej wpływ na UE w związku z zakłóceniami dostaw niektórych surowców mineralnych z Rosji, Białorusi i Ukrainy. W artykule podkreślono również obecne wyzwania stojące przed ukraińskim przemysłem wydobywczym i przetwórczym ze względu na ograniczoną logistykę i zniszczenia wojenne, szczególnie we wschodniej części kraju. Jednym z najważniejszych skutków wybuchu konfliktu na pełną skalę stała się konieczność odbudowy łańcuchów dostaw surowców w krajach Unii Europejskiej. Spośród surowców nieenergetycznych importowanych do Polski z krajów objętych działaniami wojennymi jako najistotniejsze pod względem wartości podaży i faktycznego udziału w zaspokojeniu krajowego zapotrzebowania wytypowano: rudy i koncentraty żelaza, sadzę, żelazostopy, nikiel, iły kaolinitowe (biało wypalające się i ogniotrwałe), aluminium, sole potasowe, tlenki i wodorotlenki litu. Jako sektory najbardziej zagrożone zmniejszonymi dostawami tych surowców zidentyfikowano: hutnictwo żelaza i stali oraz metali nieżelaznych, a co za tym idzie budownictwo, transport, przemysł maszynowy, inżynieryjny i inne, a także przemysł ceramiczny. Wśród działań mających na celu ograniczenie zakłóceń w dostawach analizowanych surowców wskazano poszukiwanie ich nowych źródeł (dywersyfikacja kierunków dostaw, substytucja, rozwój produkcji krajowej) oraz poprawę efektywności recyklingu i wykorzystania surowców wtórnych.
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