Poland says EU's 11th Russian sanctions package should go further

Poland's ambassador to the EU, Andrzej Sadoś, has said that the latest package of EU sanctions against Russia is not ambitious enough, but still a step in the right direction.

EU ambassadors adopted the 11th package of sanctions against Russia in Brussels on Wednesday. The new restrictions are designed to stop other countries and companies from circumventing existing measures.

The new package bans transit via Russia of a broader list of goods and technology which the EU is concerned could be used by Russia's military or security sector. The measures also restrict sales of dual-use goods to third countries suspected of trading with Russia. Additionally, access to EU sea ports will be restricted for vessels that engage into ship-to-ship transfer of Russian cargo.

He stressed that Poland would like the 11th package to be more ambitious, but it is a step in the right direction.

"This package is presented as a package to seal the sanctions system," Sadoś said.

But he complained that the package does not include many of the demands that Poland has been raising for a long time.

"There are no diamonds," he said. "It is incomprehensible why, despite the declared support for this political initiative to include diamonds in sanctions, this has still not happened.

"We will also repeat our demands regarding sanctions on the Russian nuclear sector," Sadoś said.

He said that also on Wednesday he once again raised the need to impose additional sanctions on the regime in Minsk.

The intention of the member states was to adopt the package before the EU summit scheduled for the end of June.