Russia plans to circumvent new European sanctions Folha de Pernambuco

Western countries have imposed numerous economic sanctions against Moscow since the attack on Ukraine began almost two years ago.

Per AFPDEC 19, 2023 at 12:57 p.m

Vladimir Putin Sergei Fadeichev/AFP

The Kremlin warned this Tuesday (19) that Russia will “evade” the new European sanctions against the lucrative diamond trade, which the European Union (EU) sees as a source of financing for its offensive in Ukraine.

Western countries have imposed numerous economic sanctions against Moscow since the attack on Ukraine began almost two years ago.

On Monday, the EU adopted a twelfth package of measures, which includes, among other things, a ban on the import of Russian diamonds. This applies to diamonds natural or synthetic and jewelry from January, and to Russian diamonds cut in other countries from September 2024.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the ban was “foreseeable” and the industry was “prepared.”

“I think there are ways to get around these sanctions. They exist and are applied (…) to protect our interests,” he added.

The EU is also trying to improve enforcement of sanctions against Russian oil.

Russia managed to evade them by building a “ghost fleet” of oil tankers and also with the help of China and India, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center researcher Alexandra Prokopenko recently reported.