Report: EU still not agree on Russia sanctions, more talks Thu

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (PRIME) – The E.U. countries did not reach an agreement on Wednesday about new sanctions against Russia, and planned more talks to have the package ready for the one-year anniversary of Moscow's operation in Ukraine on Friday, Reuters reported citing diplomats.

The proposed package includes trade curbs worth more than 10 billion euros, according to the bloc's chief executive, and a ban on E.U. imports of Russian rubber. It would also bar more E.U. exports to Russia of tech equipment and spare parts Moscow might use on the battlefield.

The Brussels-based executive also wants the 27 E.U. countries to better track Russian assets on their soil as the bloc seeks ways to use them to help rebuild Ukraine from the operation. Some countries, however, pushed back against the spectre of facing fines for failing to report, according to the sources.

"There are several issues outstanding, including on rubber and reporting obligations," said one of the sources, who all spoke under condition of anonymity due to the confidentiality of the negotiations between E.U. countries.

More talks among Brussels representatives of E.U. members were due on Thursday afternoon, said the sources.

"We remain confident that an agreement will be reached quickly tomorrow," said another E.U. diplomat, adding it would then be formally finalized on Friday.

No nuclear, diamonds

Taken all together, the sanctions against Russia would be the toughest the bloc has ever imposed.

The looming 10th package of penalties since Moscow invaded is designed to make financing the operation more difficult, including by cutting more banks including the private Alfa-Bank and the online bank Tinkoff off from SWIFT.

They would also blacklist individuals linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards over production of drones used against Ukraine.

Ukraine has called on the E.U. to go further, but opposition from countries including Hungary, Bulgaria, France and Belgium means the bloc would not for now restrict cooperation with Russia's nuclear industry or stop importing diamonds.

"We need to strengthen sanction policy…," Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told journalists before attending the closed-door talks in Brussels on Wednesday.

"It's very important for us. So that's why we hope that we will see these sanctions in the tenth package, otherwise, maybe in the next packages."

End