The EU must stop importing diamonds from Russia, five of the bloc’s 27 countries said in a joint proposal “seen by Reuters.”
The EU needs unanimity to agree any such ban in the next round of sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the past, Belgium – home to the world’s biggest diamond trading hub Antwerp – has rejected the ban on imports of Russian diamonds.
“Poland, Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia proposed introducing a retaliatory ban [for Russia’s mobilization and pseudo “referendums” to annex the occupied territories of Ukraine] on imports of diamonds from Russia, where Alrosa is the world’s largest producer of rough gems. An EU official and a diplomat involved in preparations of new measures against Russia said, however, that Belgium was now expected to lift its veto,” Reuters reported.
