Importers from London to Warsaw will soon face higher shipping costs, longer delays and an obstacle course of sanctions to navigate as Russia’s widening assault on Ukraine complicates the movement of cargo between Europe and Asia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, and retaliatory steps designed to paralyze his country's economy, are heaping new disruptions on supply chains that had not yet recovered from unprecedented shocks caused by the pandemic.
Beyond the devastating human toll, the war threatens higher costs for fuel, grain, industrial metals and other raw materials used in Asian-made consumer goods headed for Europe and beyond.