EU should not stop tightening sanctions against Russia – Lithuanian presidential advisor

VILNIUS – The European Union (EU) should not stop working out new sanctions after the adoption of the 12th package of sanctions against Russia on Monday, Asta Skaisgiryte, President Gitanas Nauseda's chief foreign policy advisor, has said.

"The cherry on the cake of this package is Russian diamonds, which will finally be sanctioned, because it has been talked about for a year and never got done, but now it has ... It is probably obvious that the sanctions are working, but we should not stop at the 12th package, I think as soon as it comes into force, we should prepare the 13th package," she told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Tuesday.

According to her, as Russia's war in Ukraine drags on, more and more representatives of the Russian authorities should continue to be sanctioned.

The EU on Monday adopted a new package of sanctions on Russia that include an import ban on Russian diamonds.

The package is the 12th packet leveled at Moscow since it sent Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in a full-scale invasion.

The EU ban on Russian diamonds covers natural and synthetic varieties as well as in jewellery from January, and Russian diamonds cut in other countries as from September next year.

The package also provides for a ban on provision of software for the management of enterprises and software for industrial design and manufacture.

In addition, the sanctions package extends EU efforts to restrict technology Moscow can get its hands on for military purposes, adding 29 more companies to a list of entities prohibited from exporting products able to help Russia's arms industry.

The EU is also seeking better enforcement of previous sanctions hitting Russian oil exports, which place a price cap on its crude.