Russia has extended its import ban to most food products from the EU and US, along with several other countries including Australia, Canada and Norway in retaliation against the latest round of EU and US sanctions, with Russia also considering banning over-flights by EU and US airlines after confirming today that Ukrainian airlines will be barred from transit across its territory.
Russia has extended its import ban to most food products from the EU and US, along with several other countries including Australia, Canada and Norway in retaliation against the latest round of EU and US sanctions, with Russia also considering banning over-flights by EU and US airlines after confirming today that Ukrainian airlines will be barred from transit across its territory.
President Vladimir Putin last week announced plans “to prohibit or limit for one year” imports of foodstuffs from states that have imposed sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev confirming it would include all fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, milk and dairy imports. Medvedev said the Russian government was considering banning transit flights for EU and US airlines in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine.
Over the past fortnight, the Russian authorities had already imposed embargoes on products including Romanian beef, Polish fruit and vegetables, Latvian pork, Ukrainian dairy products, cereals and juice, and plant products from Moldova. In addition, entry has been refused to individual shipments of Latvian milk powder and fish, Ukrainian cheese and US-origin frozen shrimp.
EU food exports to Russia last year were worth €11.8bn ($15.8bn) while US food exports to Russia were worth $1.3bn. According to the BBC, Russia was the EU’s second biggest market for food exports (10% of total), after the US (13%).
According to the BBC, the Russian authorities said they were confident the country’s food shops would not be left empty – they were searching for alternative suppliers in South America, Turkey and China.
Possible restrictions on over-flights of the country’s airspace by US and EU airlines could lead to cost increases for cargo carried on flights to and from Asia. However, several aviation analysts believe that such a move is unlikely, since it would be expected to trigger similar restrictions on Russian airlines travelling in European and North American airspace, something that they claim would be more damaging to Russia than to its European counterparts.
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