Anti-Russian sanctions: EU approves 12th package

The European Union approved the twelfth package of anti-Russian sanctions, the EU Council’s press service informs.

"The Council adopted today a twelfth package of economic and individual restrictive measures," the EU Council said.

New restrictive measures against Russia are "targeting high-value sectors of the Russian economy and making it more difficult to circumvent EU sanctions."

The EU in particular "is imposing a prohibition on the direct or indirect import, purchase or transfer of diamonds from Russia. This prohibition applies to diamonds originating in Russia, diamonds exported from Russia, diamonds transiting Russia and Russian diamonds when processed in third countries," the press service informed.

A direct ban will apply "to non-industrial natural and synthetic diamonds as well as diamond jewellery" from January 1 of the next year. An indirect import ban of Russian diamonds that are cut and polished in third countries will be introduced in phases from March 1 until September 1 of the next year.