Russia likely to renew food embargo

Russia’s Agriculture Minister, Alexander Tkachev, has said that Russia is prepared to renew its embargo on Western food imports until the end of 2017 (see previous blog). The embargo is currently in force until the end of August this year, and Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters that he thought the renewal would be approved “unless some miraculous changes occur in the geopolitics”.

The EU’s trade and economic sanctions on Russia are due for renewal in June & July this year (see previous blog).