Russia has escalated an economic battle set off by the crisis in Ukraine with a ban on all food imports from the United States and on fruit and vegetables from the European Union, dropping any pretense these might be for food safety reasons, according to The Associated Press.
The import ban comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered retaliation for Western sanctions against Moscow, the AP reported.
Russia is a major buyer of European fruit and vegetables but ranks 23rd among buyers of food from the United States, accounting for less than 1 percent of America's farm exports, according to the AP. The White House said the ban would backfire, hurting Russian citizens by pushing up inflation.
"Retaliating against Western companies or countries will deepen Russia's international isolation, causing further damage to its own economy," said Laura Lucas Magnuson, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, the AP reported.
Putin signed a decree on Wednesday halting or limiting imports of agricultural products from countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia, ordering his government to come up with a list of imports to be banned for a year, according to the AP.
"(All food products) that are being produced in the U.S. and being supplied to Russia will be banned," Ria Novosti quoted Alexei Alekseenko, spokesman for the VPSS food standards agency, as saying, the AP reported. "Fruit and vegetables from EU will be covered by the total ban," he added.
No one was available for comment at the VPSS (Phytosanitary Surveillance Service), but earlier Alekseenko told Reuters that retaliatory action would be "quite substantial" and would include U.S. poultry, according to the AP.
In the past, Russia has banned a variety of U.S. foods, citing health and safety concerns, but Wednesday's action makes its language on terms similar to that of the United States and European Union, which have imposed sanctions on Moscow, according to the AP.
Explicitly banning a country's products for political reasons would violate the rules of the World Trade Organization, which Russia joined in 2012, the AP reported.
After Putin issued his decree, the VPSS said it would discuss an option to increase food imports from Ecuador, Brazil, Chile and Argentina with the countries' ambassadors on Thursday, according to the AP.
