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Russia’s decision to impose food embargo against Ukraine cannot be regarded as a final one, and it will come into effect only if the parties fail to agree on eliminating of economic risks for Russia in case of Ukraine’s Association with the EU, that's according to Russian Economy Minister Alexey Ulyukayev, TASS reports.
"This decision was made as a side-step decision. Both decisions - on possible introduction of regime of most favored nation treatment and on food embargo were taken as deferred decisions. If certain decision[s] are not made until January 1, one of these decision[s] will come into force automatically," he said, according to TASS.
The elimination of risks is to be discussed at the Russia-EU-Ukraine ministerial meeting in Brussels on December 1.
Earlier Ulyukayev said that European and Ukrainian sides refused to draft legally binding documents related to the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, that is why the chances to agree on that matter in Brussels were small.
Russia, the EU and Ukraine are to prepare legally binding documents - inter-governmental agreements or international agreements on the subject. The expert round of talks was held in early October. For that meeting, the EU had prepared its own version of a document to resolve the risks. Ulyukayev said that then the experts considered it unacceptable and decided to work out a contract option proposed by the Russian side. According to him, if the Russian proposals are not accepted in a legally binding form, Russia will introduce a normal trade regime for Ukraine, without any preferences it gave it earlier.
Read alsoUkraine to retaliate in case of Russia's embargo – Ukraine's Trade RepresentativeRussia’s proposals in particular include a parallel application of technical regulations of Russia, the Customs Union /Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan/ and the new EU regulations for Ukraine until 2025. Russia also prepares to establish quotas for Ukrainian goods from the so-called "risk group" in case EU-Ukraine DCFTA is implemented.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Urkaine's Prime Minister, estimated potential damage caused by the food embargo at $600 million in 2016.
European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom has said that the DCFTA will enter into force on January 1, 2016, and Russia "will have to accept" that.