European Union countries on Wednesday held the first discussion of new sanctions over Russia's war against Ukraine that would target Chinese and Iranian firms and allow export restrictions on third countries for violating existing trade sanctions, Reuters reported.
Talks between EU ambassadors begin at 11 a.m. Kyiv time and will be "heated," according to one diplomat, as hawks are upset that the plan does not go far enough, but others fear damaging international ties.
Widely diverging viewpoints mean a quick deal is not expected, several diplomats said.
On Tuesday, the head of the EU's executive power announced the sanctions plan during a visit to Kyiv.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the new sanctions will be aimed at stopping the circumvention of already existing trade restrictions against Russia and were developed "in very close cooperation" with the countries of the "Group of Seven" (G7).
"If we see that goods are going from the EU to third countries and then end up in Russia, we can propose to member states to impose sanctions on the export of these goods. This tool will be a last resort and will be used carefully," she said.
She added that the EU would stop transiting through Russia for most of its exports, including high-tech products and aircraft parts.
Diplomatic sources familiar with the proposal prepared by the European Commission said that it also included the blacklisting of "dozens" of new companies, including those from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
According to the sources, the new sanctions emphasize that oil tankers are not allowed to unload on the high seas or arrive at ports with their GPS trackers disabled.
All 27 EU countries must agree for the new sanctions to take effect, marking the bloc's 11th package of such measures since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
It will be the first time the bloc has targeted China over allegations of Beijing's role in the war, something China's foreign ministry warned the EU against.
A diplomatic source from an anti-Russian EU country was disappointed that the European Commission's proposal did not include an end to Russian diamond imports or nuclear cooperation. The person said trade losses under the proposal were estimated at 500 million euros ($550 million), compared with what von der Leyen said was 11 billion euros in the previous package.
At the opposite end of the debate, a diplomatic source from a country critical of the sanctions said the proposal to target third countries was bound to spark a heated debate.