Support The Moscow Times!

Medvedev Wants Russia's Food Ban Extended

A worker arranges slabs of meat for sale at a grocery store in Moscow. Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters

Russia may extend its embargo on many Western food products until the end of 2017, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced Friday.

The Kremlin began the embargo in 2014 against nations who had imposed sanctions on Russia following the annexation of Crimea and its activities in eastern Ukraine.

World leaders at the G7 summit in Japan announced earlier today that those sanctions would continue until the Minsk Agreement was fully implemented in Ukraine.

"Our manufacturers have repeatedly asked for the embargo on agricultural products from countries that have imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation to continue. I want to say that I want to extend them not just for a year, but until the end of 2017,?€? Medvedev said at a meeting with members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Any proposal Medvedev submits on prolonging the embargo will need to be signed off on by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian government claims that Western nations have lost $9.3 billion as a result of the embargo.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more