Russia lawmakers draft list of U.S. imports that could
be banned
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[April 13, 2018]
By Darya Korsunskaya and Christian Lowe
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's lower house of
parliament is to consider draft legislation that would give the Kremlin
powers to ban or restrict a list of U.S. imports, reacting to new U.S.
sanctions on a group of Russian tycoons and officials.
Senior lawmakers in the State Duma, which is dominated by Kremlin
loyalists, said they had prepared the list ranging from food and alcohol
to medicine and consulting services in response to Washington's move
last week.
It was not immediately clear if the draft legislation - which would
allow the government to impose the measures should the need arise -
would become law in its current form, or if it had the backing of the
Kremlin.
A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said it was understandable that
Russian lawmakers wanted to retaliate against the U.S. measures. He
said, though, that the Kremlin had yet to familiarise itself with the
draft law.
The Russian parliament is often used to send assertive messages to
foreign states, but these do not always translate into concrete
measures.
Large-scale restrictions on U.S. goods and services would hurt American
firms but could also cause significant disruption in Russia, where
consumers flock to McDonald's restaurants, fly on vacation in Boeing
jets, and use Apple phones.
The draft law, according to a text seen by Reuters, is aimed at
protecting Russia's interests and security in the face of "unfriendly
and unlawful acts by the United States of America and other foreign
states".
Russian currency and stock markets, preoccupied with the threat of U.S.
military action in Syria and the fallout from Washington's new
sanctions, did not react to the draft legislation.
It is to be discussed in the lower house next week.
TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL
The proposed measures are in retaliation for the White House's
imposition of the toughest set of sanctions on Russia since Moscow's
annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, which dragged relations
to their lowest point since the Cold War.
[to top of second column] |
Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Deputy Prime
Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, visits the
historical Space Pavilion opened after a renovation at the the
Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNH) on the
Cosmonautics Day in Moscow, Russia April 12, 2018. Maxim Shipenkov/Pool
via REUTERS
Moscow reacted then with countersanctions banning a wide range of food imports
from Western countries.
Russia imported $12.5 billion worth of U.S. products in 2017, according to
official customs data. That included aircraft, machinery, pharmaceutical and
chemical products.
The draft legislation would give authorities the power to impose bans or
restrictions in multiple areas of trade with the United States if they deemed
that Washington was threatening Russia's interests.
The sectors listed in the draft which could be subject to bans or restrictions
include U.S.-made software and farm goods, U.S. medicines that can be sourced
elsewhere, and tobacco and alcohol.
It gives the government the power to ban cooperation with the United States on
atomic power, rocket engines and aircraft making, and to bar U.S. firms from
taking part in Russian privatisation deals.
The provision of auditing, legal and consulting services by U.S. firms could
also be subject to bans or restrictions, and curbs could be imposed on U.S.
citizens working in Russia.
Western companies, including Ford Motor Co, PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola's bottler
Coca-Cola HBC, have also invested billions of dollars since the fall of the
Soviet Union to set up local production in Russia.
(Reporting by Dasha Korsunskaya; Writing by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by
Christian Lowe and David Stamp)
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