IPoland still blocked on Friday the adoption of a 10th series of European sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to diplomatic sources. The EU wanted to symbolically confirm this 10th “package” of sanctions on the first anniversary of the invasion, February 24.
On Thursday, diplomatic sources indicated that the ambassadors of the 27 had agreed on all of the new sanctions as proposed by the European Commission, “except for one element” which still had to be “clarified with the Commission” . The representatives of the Member States were to meet on Friday morning.
The new sanctions include additional restrictions on exports to Russia for 11 billion euros, the freezing of the assets of three banks and numerous entities, including Iranian companies accused of supplying drones to Moscow. But Poland considers in particular insufficient the proposed restrictions on imports of synthetic rubber from Russia used for tires, said the delegations of four member states. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the EU’s latest round of sanctions against Russia “too light, too weak”.
Italy is asking for a long transition in order to be able to diversify the supplies of its tire industry, which is refused by Warsaw, it was explained.
According to them, the blocking of Poland “penalizes Europe”. The United States and the United Kingdom have already announced the strengthening of their sanctions and the new measures prepared by the EU were unveiled two weeks ago.
