Islam Times - Russia may consider ban on car imports from West

Islam Times - Russia will reportedly consider tightening tit-for-tat sanctions against the Western states if the United States and the European Union (EU) impose more bans on Moscow.

On Monday, Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying that Moscow may “fully or partly” ban car imports should Washington and its EU allies adopt fresh sanctions against the country over its alleged role in the Ukraine crisis.

According to the report, the new retaliatory bans would not apply to the production of foreign automakers operating inside Russia.

Earlier this month, Russia imposed year-long food bans on the US, the EU, Australia, Canada and Norway in retaliation for their embargoes on Moscow. The ban is estimated to cost European agricultural industries millions of dollars.

Over the past months, the Western states have placed sanctions on Russia, including on its financial and energy sectors, putting a number of Russian nationals close to President Vladimir Putin on a sanctions list.

The sanctions also include an arms embargo and restricting sales of sensitive technology as well as the export of equipment for Russia’s oil industry.

The Western powers accuse Moscow of playing a role in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, which erupted when Kiev launched military operations in April to silence pro-Russia protests, but the Kremlin denies the accusation.