BRUSSELS: The European Union is close to a 10th sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and EU governments hope to reach a deal on Wednesday (Feb 21) if they can overcome differences about a ban on Russian rubber and diamond imports, EU diplomats said. Among those the bloc is seeking t
BRUSSELS: The European Union is close to a 10th sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and EU governments hope to reach a deal on Wednesday if they can overcome differences about a ban on Russian rubber and diamond imports, EU diplomats said.
"We were discussing today the 10th sanctions package against Russia," Polish ambassador to the EU Andrzej Sados said after talks by ambassadors of the EU's 27 governments in Brussels. "At least 34 Russian institutions are involved in systemic stealing of Ukrainian children, including the Russian children's ombudsman," Sados said.
In response to the UNHCR, Russia's foreign ministry accused its chief of being silent when children died as a result of what she said was Ukrainian shelling in the Donbas region after pro-Moscow separatists declared independence in 2014.Sados said there was some progress on setting an embargo on imports of Russian diamonds, either polished or rough, because Belgium was easing its opposition to it even though it would hurt Europe's biggest diamond trading centre in Antwerp.
But the EU was close to a compromise on banning Russian synthetic rubber, diplomats said, even though Germany and Italy opposed a complete embargo which Poland and the Baltic countries are calling for. The solution could be a quota and the talks were focusing on how much could be allowed, diplomats said.
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