Representatives of European Union countries agreed on Thursday to adopt a 12th round of economic sanctions against Russia.
The agreement, in particular, prohibits the import of Russian diamonds into the EU. This includes a ban on LPG imports from Russia. The EU ban will apply to natural and synthetic diamonds and jewelery from January and to Russian diamonds mined in other countries from September 2024.
Austria withdrew its veto on sanctions against Russia
Until now, Austria opposed the deal because Raiffeisen Bank was on the list of “war sponsors” held by Ukrainian authorities. One of the EU diplomats, citing Ukrainian government sources, told Reuters that the bank had been removed from the list.
The list of “war supporters” is maintained by the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAZK), a central body of the Ukrainian administration with special status established in 2015, whose main task is to develop and implement the state’s anti-corruption policy. .
The list includes foreign companies that have not withdrawn from operations in Russia, despite the aggression against Ukraine. It includes companies from 17 countries, most of them China, the United States, Greece, Germany and France. These include companies such as, among others: Nestle, PepsiCo, Philip Morris International, Bacardi, Unilever, Mars, Mondelez, Yves Rocher, Auchan, Procter & Gamble, Bondwell and Leroy Merlin.