By Olamilekan FAWAS
President Vladimir Putin of Russia has signed a law on measures to counteract “unfriendly actions of the U. S. and other foreign countries,” according to a document published on the legal information portal on Monday.
The law enters into force on the day it is published. The law, initiated by Russian lower house speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, allows for the possibility of countermeasures against the U. S. and its allies, which have introduced anti-Russia sanctions.
The government may forbid the import of any items under the orders of the president, but the list of vetoed goods cannot include critically important products, if no similar items are produced in Russia.
The government has to determine the list of forbidden items.
The law also allows for a temporary or definitive end to the cooperation with the countries or entities that have engaged in unfriendly actions toward Russia.
In 2014, Russia introduced embargo on the import of certain foodstuffs from the countries that imposed economic restrictions on Moscow.
Russia has dealt with several rounds of sanctions since 2014, with the U. S., the European Union and some of their allies insisting that Moscow had meddled in the internal affairs of other countries.
Russian officials have refuted the allegations of such interference.
