Valentine's Day caused a sharp increase in demand for rough diamonds from Russia. POLITICO writes about this with reference to data from the Belgian Ministry of Economy..

Despite repeated calls from Ukraine and some EU countries, the bloc has still not imposed sanctions on Russian diamond imports..

A significant drop in imports of this luxury item in the third quarter of last year was an argument for Belgium to oppose the imposition of sanctions in this area.. Russian diamonds are vital to the Belgian city of Antwerp, the world's diamond center.

The Belgian government claims that such sanctions would only divert Russian diamond exports to other countries without hurting Moscow economically.. Belgian diplomats also noted that Russian imports are falling even without sanctions due to public pressure and consumer awareness..

However, in December and January, on the eve of Valentine's Day on February 14, imports of precious stones to Belgium increased again..

Belgium imported €132 million worth of Russian rough diamonds in January 2023, up from €97 million in January 2022.

Belgian officials say it's just a temporary spike as demand surges around Valentine's Day.. In February, the value of imports fell again to 61 million euros.

Belgian MP Vicky Reinert, whose socialist party Vooruit is part of the federal government, said the figures show that voluntary measures are not enough..

“A ban on the import of Russian diamonds is the only correct option,” says Reinart. She urged the European Commission to include this ban in the next package of sanctions against Russia..

The EU has stopped importing Russian coal, is phasing out most Russian oil, and has stopped buying numerous Russian goods, including gold, caviar and vodka. However, diamonds bypass the list of sanctions again and again.

The EU is now working within the G7 on a global diamond tracking system that Belgium has previously requested. On February 25, the leaders of the G7 introduced a new, tenth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation and announced their intention to "