New EU sanctions package against Russia will be ready by full-scale invasion anniversary
The EU member states are working on the 10th sanctions package against Russia which is supposed to come into force in February, on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Reuters news agency with reference to diplomatic sources, as reported by European Pravda
The most hard line countries are already demanding new sanctions that, among other things, have to limit the cooperation with Moscow in the nuclear sector, ban the import of Russian diamonds and reduce trade with Belarus, ally of the Kremlin.
High-rank diplomats from three European countries with a strong position concerning the sanctions told Reuters that the next sanctions package has to be ready by the anniversary of the invasion, 24 February.
However, they avoided discussing the content of the package. "It is too early, we have just implemented the ninth package," one of the diplomats from another European country argued.
The meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU countries on Monday, 23 January, is not expected to bear any decisions concerning the 10th sanctions package. Instead, the approval of the seventh 500 million euro tranche of military aid for Ukraine, previously blocked by Hungary, will be discussed.
In addition to this, the Ministers must also extend the sanctions against Iran for violating human rights, and some EU countries call for even more decisive actions in response to Tehran supplying Russia with the drones it is using in Ukraine.
The media previously reported that Brussels accelerated their pace while working on the 10th sanctions package and hoped to approve it before the Ukraine-EU Summit in Kyiv.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated that the primary focus of the 10th sanctions package will be closing loopholes and guaranteeing significant consequences for those who evade the EU sanctions.
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