Moscow will impose a food embargo on Ukraine starting from 1 January 2016, when the economic part of Kiev’s European Association Agreement comes into force, according to Russia’s Economic Development Minister Aleksey Ulyukaev.
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The pro-Russia initiatives come as Western leaders, from France, the United Kingdom, and the USA, hold fresh talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Islamic State (IS) following the Paris attacks. It is a clear narrative they are using: “‘Let’s put Ukraine aside, let’s fight terrorism'”.
Moscow has said it will present a blanket ban on nourishment supplies from Ukraine if Kiev proceeds with the arrangement, and Russia’s Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev asserted.
“Yuriy Ruban, a political analyst and head of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s Humanitarian Policies Department, told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service that if the West forgets about Ukraine, then “in several months [Russia’s] hybrid war will expand to the Baltic states and beyond, something that our Baltic colleagues are lamenting right now”.
But Yatsenyuk scoffed at the Russian president’s suggestion that his offer was more generous than Kiev’s restructuring plan – which along with the 20 percent write-down and a four-year extension includes raising average interest payments to 7.75 percent on the new bonds, according to Bloomberg. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Wednesday that Moscow wants the European Union, the USA or a major global bank to serve as a guarantor.
They also understand the need for fiscal consolidation, he said, and have taken action such as expenditure-led adjustment towards this objective.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said in a telephone interview Wednesday there was no discussion at Monday’s European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels about re-examining the sanctions to encourage Moscow to cooperate on Syria.
USA resolve has also stayed firm, officials say.
On a positive note, Yatsenyuk lauded the fact that his country was becoming more economically independent of Russian Federation. “And our agreement is that in such case we will extend sanctions”.
“We have never blocked anything (at the UN Security Council), as far as sensible initiatives based on worldwide law are concerned”, she said.
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Vice President Joe Biden will make his fifth visit to Ukraine in December, and the USA recently announced a $1 billion loan guarantee pending certain reforms.
