Russia extends ban on Western food imports through 2028

The embargo was first imposed in retaliation for sanctions placed on Moscow in 2014

President Vladimir Putin has extended Russia’s ban on imports of certain Western food products through the end of 2028, a measure first imposed in response to anti-Russian sanctions more than a decade ago. The decree was published on the Kremlin’s website on Thursday.

The restrictions were introduced in August 2014 in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russia by a number of Western nations that refused to recognize Crimea’s referendum to join the Russian Federation. The predominantly Russian-speaking Black Sea region voted to secede from Ukraine following a Western-backed coup in Kiev earlier that year.

Russia’s restrictions apply to imports from the US, the EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The measures cover products including meat, seafood, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Many of the affected countries are officially designated as “unfriendly” by the Russian government.

Moscow has argued that the embargo has helped boost domestic production and attract more brands from non-Western and friendly nations such as Serbia.

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Scorching summer sparks potato shortage in Europe

The extension comes as agricultural producers on both sides of the Atlantic contend with unusually hot and dry conditions.

Drought remains widespread across the contiguous US following the country’s hottest meteorological summer on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Western Europe has also recorded its hottest summer on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Following successive heatwaves and drought, forecasts for key EU summer crop yields have fallen as much as 14% below their five-year averages, according to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

The potato harvest across Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands is expected to suffer losses of between €498 million and €818 million ($572 million to $940 million) due to the extreme weather, UK-based research group Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit reported on Thursday.