Reuters found out when the EU will begin discussing new sanctions against Russia

The European Commission will begin on Saturday, February 3, informal discussions with EU member countries on the details of the 13th package of sanctions against Russia due to military actions in Ukraine , REUTERS reports , citing three diplomatic sources.

The agency writes that the high-level meetings will be the last step before the new measures are presented for discussion and voting in the European Council. The European Union is preparing them on the eve of the second anniversary of the Russian military operation.

According to Reuters, the EU will focus on closing loopholes to circumvent sanctions, particularly on products that can be used on the battlefield, as well as expanding blacklists of individuals and entities. One source said some industry measures, such as new import restrictions, could be added to the package . As the agency writes, Poland and the Baltic countries are calling for a ban on the import of Russian aluminum and liquefied natural gas.

The Financial Times reported that the new sanctions are unlikely to include a ban on Russian aluminum imports. The newspaper admitted that other points of the 13th package could also be softened, since previous attempts by some countries to limit the EXPORT of Russian liquefied natural gas or nuclear fuel failed due to a lack of consensus. Politico wrote about Brussels' difficulties in developing new restrictions, since "all major sites are already under sanctions."

The fact that the EU “is probably already exhausting the resource of those areas where sanctions can be introduced,” said presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov , commenting on the 12th package of measures. it included a ban on the import of diamonds, iron, copper and aluminum wire; Brussels has banned exports to Russia of a number of goods that could contribute to "technological improvement" in the defense and security sector, such as lithium batteries and thermostats.

Russia considers the measures illegal, the Foreign Ministry promised a response to the imposed restrictions. Vladimir Putin said that Russia managed to overcome the problems associated with sanctions.