Around 700 jobs at Aughinish Alumina in Limerick are safe for now after the US senate voted to support the White House in ending sanctions against the plant’s Russian owner.

The world presumed the US president was a pawn in his Russian counterpart’s game. It could prove to be the other way around, writes Nina L Khrushcheva.

The directors of the firm which operates the Aughinish Alumina refinery said as recently as mid-September they expected a solution to be reached with the US Treasury over sanctions imposed on the Limerick company’s parent.

Russian firm, Rusal, which owns Aughinish Alumina in Limerick, will be avoided by customers when the industry meets in Berlin next week to seal 2019 metal-supply agreements, industry sources predict.

The US Treasury has extended the deadline to investors to divest interests in the Russian firm that owns Aughinish Alumina, in Limerick, but has not removed it from its sanctions list.

Confusion surrounds billionaire Oleg Deripaska’s position on the board of Russian aluminium giant Rusal, the owner of Aughinish Alumina in Limerick.

The Government cannot become complacent about the risk to more than 650 jobs at Aughinish Alumina in Limerick even though fears are easing about the Trump Administration’s targeting of its Russian owner Rusal.

Donald Trump's trade sanctions could have a "catastrophic" effect on the economy of rural Limerick, a TD has warned.

The Government has said it will take “weeks to assess” the impact on the Irish economy of Donald Trump’s trade sanctions on Russia as 650 jobs at Aughinish Alumina in Limerick remain under threat.

The largest alumina refinery in Europe, Aughinish Alumina on the Shannon estuary, went back into the red last year.

Rusal Aughinish on the Shannon Estuary, the largest alumina refinery in Europe, returned to profit last year to record pre-tax profits of $15.59m (€12.15m).

Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg yesterday quit as chairman of the largest aluminium producer in the world, UC Rusal, saying the heavily indebted firm was in deep crisis after a long battle with rival oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

ONE of the biggest landfill sites in Ireland is due to close in the next 12 months, with management planning to grow grass and plant trees on the 236-acre ‘red mud’ pond at the Aughinish Alumina plant.

THE future of the $1.2 billion (€873m) alumina refinery at Aughinish Alumina has been secured until 2030 at least, with the company commissioning a 195-acre development that has the capacity to hold over 17 million tonnes of bauxite residue or “red mud”.

THE largest alumina refinery in Europe, RUSAL Aughinish, last year returned to profit after revenues almost doubled to $496.9 million (€344.9m).

CHELSEA football club owner Roman Abramovich is no longer one of Russia’s three richest men after being outranked by oligarchs who benefited from recovering oil and commodity prices.

JOBS at the Aughinish Alumina factory in Askeaton in Co Limerick may be under threat after the European Commission decided to appeal a ruling on tax exemptions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the company’s favour.

FORMER EU trade chief Peter Mandelson was elevated to the House of Lords yesterday to allow him to re-join the government — and immediately faced new criticism over money.

ONE billion dollars is no longer enough to gain entry to Russia’s rich list.

The chairman of digger maker JCB would be interested in buying iconic British car manufacturer Jaguar from the Ford Motor Company, it was reported today.

Russia’s sixth richest man is considering whether to make a bid for struggling British car maker Jaguar, it was reported today.

TWO Russian tycoons are interested in buying collapsed British car manufacturer MG Rover, it was reported yesterday.

Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich is close to putting another half a billion pounds into his burgeoning bank accounts.

Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich is close to putting another €795m into his burgeoning bank accounts.