"We still strongly support WTO accession for all three countries but are examining the implications of this unexpected move," Carol Guthrie, a spokeswoman for U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, said Friday.
Kirk was in St. Petersburg two weeks ago, meeting with Russian officials regarding the country's WTO bid.
"We are especially surprised since Ambassador Kirk had just concluded talks with senior Russian officials regarding the Obama administration's commitment to seeing Russia join the WTO as soon as possible," Guthrie said.
Russia has been trying to join the WTO for more than a decade and is the largest economy to remain outside the 153-member trade group.
The United States had raised concerns about Russia's bid, noting that Moscow needed to do more to crack down on copyright piracy and lift bans on U.S. meat related to the outbreak of A/H1N1 flu.
An upcoming WTO report on protectionism says Russia is one of the most prominent countries banning pork imports from affected countries and together with Argentina will again appear as one of the countries most actively restricting imports, trade sources said on Friday.
Maxim Medvedkov, Russia's chief negotiator, said on Thursday that the country would seek guidance from the WTO on how to proceed with accession talks together with the two former Soviet republics.
"We would like to get a feeling from WTO members on how the three countries as customs union members may continue their negotiations, not from scratch but from the point where we had stopped," Medvedkov said.
"The forecast we made that Russia may become a member before the end of this year should be reviewed," he said.
Medvedkov said Russia had opted for the union because heads of governments of the three countries settled their differences at a meeting in Moscow last week, giving a fresh impetus to union talks under way since 1997.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
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 every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.