Switzerland has banned the sale and import of Russian aluminum unwrought form as of Thursday, the Swiss government said in a statement, Swissinfo reports. The import of Belarusian aluminum is also banned, while export restrictions have also been tightened.

The aim is to apply uniform sanctions in order to prevent circumvention of those against Russia, the Swiss government said. Switzerland is following the 16th package of sanctions decided by the EU at the beginning of the year, after adopting the first part in March.

When the European sanctions were announced, Marcel Menet, president of the Swiss Aluminum Association, pointed out that similar measures had already been taken at the start of the war three years ago. But Russian materials are still transiting via other countries, such as Turkey, he said.

Switzerland has adopted other sanctions also against Russia. Chromium ores, for example, can no longer be exported because of their military use. The same applies to oil and natural gas exploration software.