Poland expects 10th package of EU sanctions against Russia to be the strictest

PAP reported the information citing Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński.

"Poland hopes for the strictest and toughest possible 10th package of EU sanctions against Russia. Brussels is also negotiating the extension of sanctions to those involved in their circumvention," he said.

According to him, the previous sanctions packages covered more and more industries and areas, after which it became clear that "new ways of evading sanctions are constantly emerging."

"Today, we are focusing on sealing this process, i.e., making sure that any entity involved in circumventing sanctions (...) is also subject to these sanctions. This is the direction in which we are now moving, this is what is being discussed in Brussels," he said.

Paweł Jabłoński assessed that there are always certain interest groups that try to dilute and weaken sanctions in order to continue making money from business related to Russia. He added that when forming sanctions packages, there is always a certain compromise at the end of the process.

Earlier, Poland's permanent representative to the EU, Andrzej Sadosz, said that work in Brussels on the 10th package of EU sanctions against Russia and another against Belarus had slowed down. The European Commission has not yet proposed new restrictions.

• On January 20, the media reported that EU countries are working on the 10th package of sanctions against Russia, which is scheduled to come into force in February, before the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.