Russia extends boycott till end 2018

Russia has extended the boycott of fruit and vegetables to the end of 2018. This was reported by the Agricultural Branch of the Economic Department of the Dutch Embassy in Moscow via Twitter. Russian Prime Minister Medvedev is believed to have said this one day after the EU sanctions were officially extended by 6 months.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

"Of course we will respond adequately. Yesterday we discussed this issue with President Vladimir Putin and the government will come up with a proposal to extend the boycott by one year until 31 December 2018," said the Russian Prime Minister.

At the end of June, EU countries decided unanimously to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months. The EU judged that insufficient progress has been made to implement the Minsk agreements. These agreements would lead to a truce in Eastern Ukraine. Since the imposition of sanctions in 2014, after Russia got involved in the East Ukrainian conflict and annexed the Crimea, every six months, EU Member States decide on an extension of sanctions.

Russia responded to sanctions in 2014 with a boycott of European fruits and vegetables. Since then, the Kremlin has stated that Europe must take the first step towards reconciliation before Russia thinks about lifting sanctions. In that light, this extension is no surprise. Initially, the Russians extended the boycott every six months, just like the EU. The last time, however, they also opted for an extension of one year.