Media: companies from China, Iran and other countries may fall under new EU sanctions

The ambassadors of the EU countries are today holding the first discussion of a new package of sanctions due to the Russian special operation in Ukraine. New restrictions may be introduced against companies from third countries to limit the re-export of sanctioned goods to the Russian Federation, writes Reuters.

According to agency sources in diplomatic circles, the European Commission (EC) has proposed blacklisting “dozens” of companies from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The head of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, also proposed to consider a mechanism for imposing sanctions on the export of goods that enter Russia through third countries. The proposed restrictions also include a ban on oil tankers unloading on the high seas and arriving at ports with GPS trackers turned off.

One of the interlocutors of the agency also noted that the proposals of the EC do not include the termination of the import of Russian diamonds or cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. According to the diplomats interviewed by the agency, discussions of these proposals “will be heated” because some EU countries considered them too soft, while others are afraid to harm their own international relations.

Since the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the EU has already adopted 10 packages of sanctions, the last of them on February 24. A number of Russian citizens, departments and companies fell under the restrictions. In particular, the sanctions affected three banks – Alfa BankRosbank, “Tinkoff jar”.

At the end of April, the Financial Times wrote citing European officials that the EU is likely to have reached a ceiling after imposing the 10th round of sanctions against Russia. The sectors of the Russian economy left without sanctions are critically important for various European countries, so a veto will be imposed on possible restrictions.

Sources working on anti-Russian sanctions have suggested that as a constraint, the EU will now expand the list of sanctioned individuals and tighten measures against circumvention of already adopted sanctions. At the end of March, von der Leyen said that the 11th package of sanctions would be aimed at combating circumvention of restrictions.