Ukraine`s Cabinet of Ministers has worked out and is ready to immediately put in place the mirror measures against the Russian Federation, which since July 1 have introduced additional restrictive measures against the transit of Ukrainian goods through the Russian territory towards the third countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries, according to the government statement, issued after a special meeting.
According to the Government, the measures imposed by Russia are yet another flagrant violation of international obligations under the WTO agreement.
”The government has taken and will take all possible measures to protect the national interests of Ukraine and combat any manifestations of aggression on the part of the Russian Federation. We have prepared adequate measures that will be put into effect immediately,” the statement says.
The Government recalled that due to the deterioration of the situation with the transit of goods, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Ministry of Infrastructure had opened a special hotline for business, while the operational headquarters at the Cabinet of Ministers monitors the situation constantly.
”At the same time, the government raises the issue of Russia`s violation of international law in the World Trade Organization and other international organizations with partners. This is a politically motivated act of the Russian Federation, which is another manifestation of Russian aggression toward Ukraine. We demand that Russia immediately lift the restrictive measures against the Ukrainian export to other countries,” the statement reads.
Later, during the Conciliation Board in the Verkhovna Rada, First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv commented on the government`s decision. He stressed that Russia`s actions regarding the continuation of a trade embargo were a response to the continuation of the anti-Russian sanctions announced by the U.S. and the European Union. At the same time, Kubiv said that now it was impossible to ”turn economic issues into political populism.” ”It is clear that Russia`s actions are not economically and legally justified, but they will lead to deterioration in trade relations with the third countries. They are discriminatory. We will impose the mirror sanctions in respect of goods and transit. We will raise the mirror duties on Russian goods,” Kubiv said.
Kubiv stressed that Ukraine was opposed to a trade war and did not consider the policy of ”sword-to-sword and blood-to-blood” a solution. However, Kyiv will necessarily calculate the losses incurred by the Ukrainian business. And then, the country will require new solutions, developed in consolidated manner, with the participation of ministers, deputies and businesses. One of these solutions, according to Kubiv, must be reformatting the exports , which have previously been directed to the Russian Federation and to the third states via the Russian Federation.
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