Russia To Extend Food Import Ban If EU Extends Sanctions

Russian Economic Development Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev has said Moscow will extend its embargo on European Union agricultural products if the bloc extends sanctions as expected.

Ulyukayev told RIA Novosti news agency on June 18, "We'll just keep the status quo: the embargo on produce introduced in response to the sanctions regime."

Asked if Russia might impose sanctions on other areas of EU imports, he said, "I think it's unlikely."

Last year, Moscow banned most dairy, meat, fish, fruit, and vegetable imports from the EU, the United States, and other countries which had imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its alleged support for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.

The EU is expected to approve on June 22 a six-month extension of the economic sanctions hitting Russia's energy, financial, and military sector.

Based on reporting by AFP and Sputnik