International

The European Commission plans to submit the 12th package of anti-Russian sanctions to the EU Council for approval on November 15, head of the EU diplomatic service Josep Borrell said at a press conference after a meeting of the EU Council at the level of foreign ministers.

He noted that the new package will include the ban of sales of Russian diamonds.

"We are finalizing the work on the 12th package of sanctions. <…> This sanctions package will include new export bans, among them on [export of Russian] diamonds, actions to tighten the oil price cap in order to decrease the revenues Russia's getting from selling its oil, not to us but to others, fighting against circumvention and, as I said, the ban on diamonds," Borrell said.

According to him, this package will include the decision to impose sanctions, as well as proposals from the EU Council that EU countries will have to accept in order to apply the 12th package of sanctions. These proposals must be agreed upon at a scheduled meeting of the European Commission on Wednesday, after which they will be submitted for approval to the EU Council.
     The volume of prohibitive measures imposed by the European Union against Russia is record-breaking in the history of the community. Sanctions restrictions to one degree or another affect all sectors of the Russian economy, not to mention the blacklist of more than 1,500 individuals and legal entities the European business is banned to have any contact with. Those on the list are also prohibited from entering the EU, and their assets are subject to freezing.

As European experts note, one can no longer speak about individual prohibitive measures, but in fact about an attempt at a complete economic and trade blockade of Russia by European countries.