Brussels, 08/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - In response to the retaliation measures taken against Ukraine by Moscow ahead of the entry into force of Ukraine's free trade area with the EU (which has been operational since 1 January 2016 - see EUROPE 11460), Ukraine announced on Saturday 2 January that it was setting up an embargo, from 10 January until 5 August, on several products from Russia - meat, cheese, coffee, alcohol, tea, confectionery, fish, cigarettes, cosmetics and railway equipment.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on 16 December 2015, suspending the application to Ukraine of the treaty that sets up preferential tariffs between several of the former USSR countries. Since 1 January, Ukrainian goods in Russia are now subject to an average of 7% customs duties. On 21 December, Russia's Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev announced the extension to Ukraine of Russia's embargo on food products (which as been imposed on the EU's member countries since spring 2014).
This latter announcement led the European Commission to put a definitive stop to the trilateral negotiations with Russia and Ukraine on 21 December regarding the implementation of the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement (see EUROPE 11458). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)