PARIS, France - The European Union should bar Russian diamond imports and blacklist diamond miner Alrosa and its head Sergei Ivanon, Transparency International told Reuters on Monday, as the 27-nation bloc prepares new sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Galvanised by Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a partial military mobilisation and issuing a thinly veiled nuclear threat to the West, EU countries were quick to say last week that they will respond with new sanctions.
Two diplomatic sources, however, told Reuters on Monday the process would take time as the 27 EU countries need to agree unanimously in order to impose sanctions.
The bloc's executive European Commission is expected to make a formal proposal on that in the coming days and it might get final approval from the 27 national EU leaders meeting in Prague on Oct.6-7.
Highlighting how fragile EU unit is on Russia, Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban - who had cultivated a close relationship with Putin - spoke against such sanctions on Monday.
Transparency International said that, beyond the diamond embargo, Russia's state - controlled Alrosa - the world's largest producer on rough diamonds - and its CEO Sergei Ivanov should be added to the EU's blacklist, which included 108 entities and 1,206 individuals.
'This sectorial ban needs to be extended for the assets of Alrosa', said Transparency International's Roland Papp. 'Targeting them would be a logical next step'.
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