A draft ban on the import of diamonds from Russia may be presented at the UN General Assembly

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo will present draft sanctions related to the import of Russian diamonds on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19. About it reported newspaper Le Soir.

The publication notes that Russian diamonds have been repeatedly mentioned as a potential target of the European Union’s sanctions policy, but have never appeared in any of the 11 adopted packages.

“Reason: determined resistance from Belgium. The country sought to preserve Antwerp, the world center for the rough and polished diamond trade. But at the same time, she was looking for a mechanism that would actually allow her to achieve her goal: to deprive Moscow of financial resources,” says Le Soir.

September 15 Reuters reportedthat the G7 countries may announce an indirect ban on the import of Russian diamonds within two to three weeks. The restrictions will come into force in January.

19 May President of the European Council Charles Michel statedthat the EU plans to limit trade in Russian diamonds. On the same day, a ban on the import of Russian diamonds, copper, nickel and aluminum was introduced announced British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.