The New York Times has reported that the G7 countries and the European Union are considering imposing a total ban on the import of diamonds from Russia starting next year.
The United States imposed a ban on the import of rough diamonds from Russia, as well as stones processed in Russia, in 2022, but the ban left scope for circumventing the restrictions, according to the newspaper.
The European Union has not imposed sanctions on the import of diamonds from Russia before due to the position of Belgium, which plays an important role in the gemstone trade in its economy. But it is now possible to circumvent the resistance of countries opposed to the ban on the import of diamonds from Russia.
The new sanctions are expected to include banning the import of all diamonds from Russia, including those that have been processed in other countries.
The new sanctions are expected to be announced next September and take effect in January 2024.
It should be noted that the G7 countries are the largest buyers of Russian diamonds, since their share in diamond purchases is around 70%.
Russian Ministry of Defence: Two Russian fighters intercept two American reconnaissance planes over the Black Sea
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that two Russian fighters intercepted an attempted violation of the Russian border in Crimea by two American reconnaissance drones.
Russian fighter intercepts US reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea
And the Russian Defense Ministry said in an official statement that its forces foiled an attempt by two US drones, MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, to enter the airspace of the Crimean Peninsula. .
The ministry reported that on August 28, the Russian airspace control center over the Black Sea detected air targets approaching Russian state borders, and after checking it was found that they were two American MQ-9 Reapers and RQ-4 Global Hawks. drones, which carried out reconnaissance operations in semi-aerial conditions. Island of Crimea.
The statement added: “In order to avoid a possible violation of Russian state borders and to deal with American drones, two Russian fighter jets belonging to the Russian Air Defense Forces took off, prompting the two American drones to change of direction and to leave. the area of their reconnaissance operations.
And the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that the ‘Su-30’ fighter intercepted a US Air Force MQ-9A ‘Reaper’ reconnaissance drone as it approached Russia’s borders over the sea. Black.
