Russia eyeing retaliatory ban on “all US goods”

Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Russia says it is considering a plan to ban American products, saying the move would be in response to the latest sanctions imposed by Washington.

Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying that the ban could include all US goods.

“These can be not only the American securities… but also a whole range of other goods that are delivered to the Russian market or produced by American businesses on the territory of our country,” Medvedev said, answering questions from the Russian State Duma on Wednesday.

He emphasized that Moscow's possible response to new US sanctions should be adequate and measured. "Response measures should be well-calculated, should not harm ourselves, they must be adequate," he said.

Russia and the US do not have trade agreements, but both countries are members of the World Trade Organization. Trade between the two countries amounted to $24 billion by the end of 2017, of which $17 billion was Russian exports to America.

Russia delivers oil, metals, nuclear fuel, mineral fertilizers and fish to the US, while buying mostly aircraft, aircraft engines and components from Boeing. Before the sanctions, Russia was also buying oil-drilling equipment from the US.

The US sanctions, announced on Friday, target Russian officials and business people close to President Vladimir Putin. They come in an aggressive response to alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.
Meanwhile, two US Congressmen are attempting to impose further sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain, an accusation vehemently denied by Russia.