Original title: EU adopts new sanctions against Russia, Russia calls EU pressure policy “futile”
BRUSSELS (Xinhua) — The Council of the European Union on the 21st passed the European Commission’s proposal for a new package of sanctions against Russia, banning the import of Russian gold into the EU and expanding the list of regulated items and technologies to prevent Russia’s use in military and defense. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova said that the EU’s policy of putting pressure on Russia over the years is obviously “no future” and “futile”, but the catastrophic consequences for the global economy and security are “more and more obvious”.
The EU Council issued a statement on the same day saying that the package of measures called “Maintenance and Adjustment” stipulates that the direct or indirect purchase, import or transfer of gold originating in Russia and exported from Russia to the EU or any third country is prohibited. Jewelry is also within the scope of the ban. The new measures also expand the list of controlled items, prevent Russia from obtaining items that could be used for military and defense, and strengthen export controls for dual-use and advanced technologies.
In order to avoid potential negative impacts on world food and energy security, the EU has decided to expand exemptions for agricultural transactions with certain Russian state-owned entities and for oil shipments to third countries, the statement said.
According to the news released on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zakharova said on the same day when commenting on the EU’s new round of sanctions against Russia, that the EU once again tried to “avoid its responsibility for provoking and aggravating the global food and energy crisis”, but agricultural In addition to the epidemic, the reasons for the rise in the prices of energy and energy products are mainly caused by the short-sighted economic and energy policies of the West. In addition, the EU’s anti-Russian policy has disrupted Russia’s foreign economic activities, severely hampered Russian cargo transportation, financial and insurance services, and disrupted logistics chains, which have exacerbated price increases for agricultural and energy products. The catastrophic consequences of EU sanctions on Russia for the global economy and security, including EU member states, are “increasingly evident”. Zakharova also said that Russia hopes that the EU’s actions in the field of food will help strengthen food security and create conditions for the export of food and fertilizers.
(Reporter Ren Ke participates in reporter Liu Kai)