On March 1, a ban on imports of diamonds and polished diamonds of Russian origin to EU countries came into force, and Canada and Japan also introduced similar sanctions. The United States had previously introduced its own ban on Russian diamond products.
In particular, the Canadian authorities decided to introduce additional measures to ban the import of Russian diamonds: citizens of this country both in Canada and abroad, as well as other citizens in Canada, are now prohibited from importing, buying or acquiring non-industrial diamonds and polished diamonds, as well as unsorted diamonds from Russia.
Meanwhile, Japan has also tightened its restrictions. Now the ban applies not only to direct deliveries of diamond products from the Russian Federation, but also from third countries. The new sanctions announced on March 1 emphasize that a ban is being introduced on the import of Russian non-industrial diamonds, even if they were processed outside of Russia, TASS reports.
In December 2023, the G7 countries announced the introduction of restrictions on the import of diamonds mined or processed in Russia from January 1, 2024. From March 1, restrictions will be introduced for Russian diamonds that have been cut in other countries.