EU countries start discussing new sanctions against the Russian Federation: there may not be a quick agreement – mass media
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On Wednesday, the European Union countries will begin the first discussion of new sanctions against the Russian Federation, but due to differences in positions within the EU, they may not reach an agreement soon.
He writes about it Reuters with reference to the words of several diplomats.
Negotiations between EU ambassadors will begin at 10:00 a.m. Kyiv time.
According to one of the interlocutors, there is a wing of countries that are disappointed by insufficiently strong measures against the Russian Federation, while another wing is wary of harming their international relations. Such differences of opinion mean that a quick agreement should not be expected, the diplomats said.
According to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the new sanctions will focus on combating the circumvention of existing sanctions.
“If we see that goods are going from the EU to third countries and then end up in Russia, we can propose to member countries to impose sanctions on the export of these goods. This tool will be an exceptional measure and will be used carefully,” she said.
The EU also seeks to stop the transit through Russia of most of its exports, primarily high-tech products and aviation parts.
As previously reported, the European Commission turned to to member states with a request to include about 35 more companies in the list, in particular, in mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as companies in Uzbekistan, Armenia and the United Arab Emirates.
The new sanctions also provide that oil tankers will be prohibited from unloading on the high seas or arriving at ports with GPS trackers turned off to prevent circumvention of G7 restrictions on trade in Russian oil.
One of the EU diplomats from the wing of countries demanding tougher measures against the Russian Federation was disappointed that the European Commission’s proposal did not include an end to the import of Russian diamonds or cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
A diplomat from the opposite wing of the EU countries said that the proposal to target sanctions on third countries is bound to cause a debate that could lead to serious consequences.
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