Italian companies will lose millions of euros due to the ban on selling sanitary ware to Russia, the head of an business union in Moscow has warned.

The EU originally prohibited the sale of sanitary ware, including toilets and bidets, in 2022 and recently renewed the restrictions as part of the 19th sanctions package adopted last week.

Vittorio Torrembini, head of the Association of Italian Entrepreneurs in Russia, condemned the measure as harmful to Italian businesses. “Unfortunately, the 19th sanctions package is a highly negative outcome, given the sectors it targets. It deals a significant blow to Italy,” Torrembini told RTVI on Tuesday.

According to Torrembini, the ban on sanitary ware exports to Russia will cost the Italian economy around €140 million ($163 million), while overall losses from the new sanctions package are expected to reach €250 million ($291 million). “The ban on toilet sales may sound amusing to Russians, but for us it is no laughing matter,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked the EU’s toilet export ban last week, saying it “will cost them dearly.” He added that “they will need Russian toilets if they keep the same policies.”

The EU expanded sanctions shortly after US President Donald Trump confirmed that his planned in-person summit with Putin had been postponed indefinitely.

Russian officials have maintained that the sanctions have made the national economy stronger and more self-reliant, and that the country has successfully adapted by rearranging its supply chains.

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