Poland calls for tougher sanctions on Russia
More and stricter sanctions against Moscow are needed, including a total ban on dual-use goods exports to Russia, Poland's deputy foreign minister has told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
"We are trying to convince our partners in Europe to introduce further sanctions against Moscow," Marcin Przydacz, who is responsible for security and eastern policy, including relations with Belarus and Ukraine, said in an interview for the German daily published on Saturday.
"As Europeans, we must act in a coordinated manner," he added.
Welt am Sonntag wrote that Przydacz "is considered one of the most active and internationally respected Polish diplomats... who plays a key role in the current crisis."
The Polish official said that Poland is calling for the fast adoption of the seventh package of sanctions against Russia as the sixth package, though a hard blow to Russia "was not able to weaken Putin and his military machine sufficiently."
Przydacz explained that the seventh package should include a total ban on exports of European technologies to Russia as well as "so-called dual-use goods", that is civilian products that can be used for military purposes.
Moreover, Przydacz said, "we must take more decisive action against Russian banks and against Russian propaganda and disinformation channels."
Lukasz Jasina, the Polish foreign ministry's spokesperson said earlier that sanctions against Moscow need to be extended and the seventh package must be introduced as soon as possible as "we must maintain the pressure."
"We are making progress, we enjoy the support of our Baltic partners and we hope that other Europeans will also agree to stricter sanctions against Russia," Jasina added.
Western diplomats expect the Polish government to raise the demand for even tougher sanctions at the Monday meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. A decision on the matter is not yet expected. However, the issue is likely to remain on the European agenda, the German newspaper wrote.
