REUTERS
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade and Trade Representative Nataliya Mykolska has announced Ukraine is going to lodge another claim against Russia with the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the end of the year over farm produce shipments, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
"We are finalizing a claim for the WTO in respect of agricultural products," Mykolska told journalists.
According to her, this is Ukraine's fourth claim against the Russian Federation and it may be lodged before the end of 2017.
Read alsoUkraine holds WTO dispute consultations at Russia's requestUkraine expects to get results on its first claim against Russia, which concerns railway equipment, by the end of the year, she added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine filed a lawsuit against Russia in the middle of February as part of its WTO membership over numerous transit restrictions on Ukrainian goods imposed by Moscow in 2016. The formal reason for the introduction of restrictive measures was the Ukraine-EU Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. In winter 2016, Russia drastically limited shipments of Ukrainian goods, which was followed by a complete embargo on food exports from Ukraine to Russia. In July 2016, Russia continued its policy of trade restrictions, having halted transit supplies of Ukrainian goods via its territory towards third countries, namely Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Ukraine's Economic Development and Trade Ministry has estimated that the restrictions imposed by Russia translated into a 38.3% reduction in Ukrainian exports to third countries, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, in 2016 from 2015. Some 79% of shipments to Kazakhstan and 95% to Kyrgyzstan were more or less affected by the transit restrictions. Direct losses from Russia's restrictive measures amounted to $0.4 billion.