By KYIV. Oct 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Union will begin consultations with member countries in the coming days on a new package of sanctions against Russia, Bloomberg reports, citing its own sources.
“The new package, which would be the bloc’s 12th since Russia invaded, could include a ban on Russian diamonds, a further crack down on Moscow’s ability to get around sanctions and listing companies in third countries that are helping Moscow to do so,” the report notes.
The EU has been working with the Group of Seven, representing the world’s largest developed economies, on a mechanism that would trace diamonds across borders, overcoming concerns that any ban would just see the trade re-directed elsewhere.
The bloc is also expected to expand the list of restricted goods that Russia could use for military purposes.
“A key focus of the EU and its allies has been to impede efforts by the Kremlin to acquire a shorter list of crucial goods needed to build and supply weapons, and as part of those efforts have looked to apply diplomatic pressure on third countries aiding Moscow,” Bloomberg reports.
