During a meeting of the G7 in Japan, Rishi Sunak announced Russian diamond imports to the UK will be banned, alongside Russian-origin copper, aluminium and nickel. Support for Ukraine was top of the agenda at the summit in Hiroshima, which President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to make a surprise appearance at over the weekend. “We believe in democracy, freedom, the rule of law,” Mr Sunak told the BBC.
“It’s right that we stand up for those things. I’m hopeful and confident that our partner countries will follow as they have done when we’ve done this previously. That will make the sanctions more effective, ensure that Russia pays a price for its illegal activity.”
The Russian diamond industry was worth £3.2 billion in exports in 2021, but Downing Street conceded that direct imports have been low since the UK sanctioned state-owned miners Alrosa last year. There has been uncertainty whether the EU will go as far as the UK on diamonds, with the trade particularly lucrative for Belgium.
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