Belgium did not support part of the new sanctions against Russia, approved and entered into force yesterday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croux said, quoted by local media.

He clarified that the country voted with "abstentions" on the issue of imposing restrictions on the import of Russian steel.

The reason is that two Belgian steel plants will be directly affected by this measure.

De Cro noted that with this vote in the Council of the EU, Belgium remained sympathetic to the European approach to sanctions against Russia because of the war in Ukraine.

The EU approved the new sanctions against Russia, suspending imports for 7 billion euros

According to him, it is necessary to assess how to maintain the support of European citizens for such measures, which also affect the European economy.

If the economic price goes up and people start losing their jobs, it will become difficult, he commented.

According to him, Belgium will support the possibility of imposing a ban on the import of Russian diamonds, if such a proposal turns out to be necessary and is considered by the EU countries.

He noted that the sanctions imposed against Russia have led to a significant drop in cargo turnover at the port of Antwerp.

sanctions against Russia

Belgium

Alexander de Cro