Agency :
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev laid out the details of his country’s response to Western sanctions on Thursday, banning imports of a wide range of foods and considering wider retaliatory measures.
“Fulfilling the presidential order, I’ve signed a government decree. Russia imposes a total ban on deliveries of beef, pork, fruit, vegetables, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and dairy products,” Mr. Medvedev said, opening the weekly government session.
Mr. Medvedev said Russia won’t import those products from the European Union, the US, Australia, Canada and Norway for one year, adding that the decision could be reviewed before the end of 12-month period.
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced plans to ban imports of food and other products, firing back at the harshest sanctions imposed by the West against Russia last week since Crimea was annexed in March. The West’s sanctions affected entire sectors such as finance, oil and defense and have tipped Russia’s slowing economy toward recession.
Mr. Medvedev said Russia has also prohibited Ukrainian airlines from making transit flights over Russia’s airspace to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Turkey. He said Moscow is considering imposing similar restrictions on EU and US companies, banning them from transit flights over Siberia to Asia.
Mr. Medvedev said that sanctions against Western air carriers are “on the table” but won’t come into effect immediately. He said that Russia didn’t want to impose sanctions and hopes that it will be able to restore economic cooperation with the West.
The moves are the latest sign of defiance from the Kremlin in the face of growing Western pressure to end its support for pro-Russia separatists fighting in Ukraine. By targeting imported foods, the Kremlin is sending the message that the country is ready to make sacrifices in order to stand up to the West.
At the same time, the import bans will have a limited impact on the bulk of Russia’s population, which relies mainly on domestic foods and imports from other former Soviet countries. Wealthier urbanites, who depend more on Western imports, aren’t a central part of Mr. Putin’s political base. Nonetheless, economists say the government will have to manage the restrictions carefully to avoid a broader surge in inflation, which could become politically sensitive.
The food ban would hit farmers in Eastern Europe, but would have little impact on the EU’s overall economy. The EU last year exported €8.8 billion ($11.79 billion) in food and live animals to Russia, according to Eurostat, a tiny fraction of the bloc’s overall exports.
In recent weeks, Russia has also massed more combat troops on the Ukrainian border, the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said, with a force now estimated at 20,000 troops.
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday ridiculed claims of a buildup, expressing “sympathy” for those in the West it said were forced to make allegations that were a mere “soap bubble.”
