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China's Russian coal purchases stall as buyers struggle to secure financing

Chinese traders are scaling back imports of Russian coal as they struggle to secure financing from state banks worried about potential sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine, in early signs of supply disruption from the world's third-largest coal seller.

Coal prices from other exporters Indonesia, Australia and South Africa have jumped this week, with benchmark Newcastle coal hitting a record $274.50 a tonne on Monday, a 15% rise, in the wake of Russia's launch of what it said was a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Thursday.

China is Russia's largest coal buyer, taking in more than 50 million tonnes of coal worth $7.4 billion last year via rail and sea from Russia's Far East. Russia accounted for roughly 15% of China's total imports and was its second largest supplier behind Indonesia.

"Most banks have stopped issuing letters of credit after the SWIFT sanctions. As almost all contracts are dollar-denominated, we have no other way to make the payment," said a China-based trader dealing in Russian coal.