Officials of USA and the European Union They met this Monday to discuss the “most efficient” tools to “prevent” Russia from getting rich from the diamond trade.
At the meeting, the director of the office for the coordination of sanctions, James O’Brienof the US and the European Commission’s manager for trade compliance, Denis Redonnetdiscussed with dealers and associations of the diamond industry, as reported in a statement by the Department of State.
The officials spoke with representatives of the private sector about “future measures directed at the importation” of Russian diamonds, the statement said.
“The discussion focused on the most effective and impactful ways to interrupt that flow of income,” the State Department detailed.
In April last year, the US sanctioned the Russian state-owned company alrosathe largest diamond miner in the world.
Alrosa represents an important source of income for Russia, since the diamond business is one of the largest exports in the country, apart from energy, and the company has already been subject to sanctions by Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Bahamas.
Ukraine has asked the European Union to impose sanctions against the export of Russian diamonds.
Ukraine’s President Volodimir Zelensky has accused Belgium of placing more importance on continuing trade relations with Russia, and in particular the diamond trade through the city of Antwerp, than taking forceful action to support the Ukrainian struggle.
Tenth package of sanctions
The European Union adopted in February the tenth package of sanctions against Russia, including, among other things, a ban on the export of technology for military use and measures against Iranian companies that supply drones to Moscow.
The Twenty-seven reached an agreement at ambassadorial level”in extremis”, coinciding with the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
“We now have the largest sanctions ever imposed, depleting Russia’s war arsenal and biting deep into its economy. We are also increasing the pressure on those who try to circumvent our sanctions,” the president of the European Commission said on Twitter. Ursula von der Leyen.
“The tenth package of sanctions is adopted”, celebrated in the same social network the high representative of Foreign Affairs of the EU, Josep Borrellwho added that the block “remains committed to his determination to make a dent in Russia’s war machine”.
The agreed package includes, for example, stricter restrictions on the export of technology and dual-use itemsselective restricted measures against people and entities support the war spread propaganda either deliver drones Used by Russia in the war.
It also includes 47 electronic components that Russia can use in its weapons systems, such as drones, missiles and helicopters, in such a way that taking into account the nine previous packages all technological products will have been banned found on the battlefield.
The tenth package of reprisals against the Kremlin also sanctions seven Iranian companies linked to the Revolutionary Guard that manufacture the drones that Tehran is giving to Moscow to bomb Ukraine and initiates the procedure to suspend the broadcast licenses to RT Arabic and Sputnik Arabic.
(With information from EFE)
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Source-www.infobae.com