“The Company [ArcelorMittal] has been evaluating the situation on a daily basis and production had previously been reduced with the plant operating at a technical minimum (approximately one-third of its normal production levels),” said an official statement on the company’s website.

The process to halt production began on 3 March, the statement continued, adding that bringing it to standstill will take between one week and ten days.

“ArcelorMittal is deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine and the threat to our employees and the entire Ukrainian population,” the statement said.

Headquartered in Luxembourg City, ArcelorMittal is present in 60 countries, in 17 of which they have primary steelmaking facilities.