EU leaders agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia. This decision will be formally confirmed in the nearest days. Interestingly, Russian mass media still reports on massive losses, incurred by European businesses and farmers. According to the Kremlin’s stance, almost all European policymakers advocate lifting restrictive measures, being eager to make business with efficient Russian companies.
The decision was taken at the EU summit on June 29. The EU authorities highlighted that all 28 member states voted unanimously. During the summit, the leaders of France and Germany gave an account of implementation of the Minsk agreement. To be more exact, they spoke about non-compliance with the earlier agreement. In a widely expected move, the EU Council found it appropriate to prolong the sanctions until January 31, 2019. As previously, the sanctions are targeted at the financial, energy, and defense sectors as well as individuals involved into the lingering disorder in Ukraine.
No wonder, Moscow is always pleased to retaliate with time-tested measures. The main countermeasure is the food embargo which will be also extended for another six months, Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed officials at a meeting on foreign trade relations. In other words, the same bizarre methods could be applied to ensure the embargo fulfilment. Customs officers are authorized to squeeze food of the suspicious origin by bulldozers.