The European Commission has approved a proposal to ban the sale of diamonds from Russia and will send it to EU countries for consideration.
“The European Commission has adopted a proposal that will be sent to member states for approval. It is expected in the coming days if the 27 member states vote unanimously,” France 24 reported.
It is noted that the ban will affect trade in Russian diamonds, as well as diamonds exported from Russia. In addition, a ban will be imposed on diamonds processed in third countries between March and September 2024.
Earlier, European Union diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said that the new, already 12th package of anti-Russian sanctions will expand the blacklist against individual citizens and will also affect diamond exports.
The Russian leader’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Western countries are agonising over the fact that the sanctions are not hitting Russia and Moscow is benefiting from the imposed anti-Russian restrictions.