MOSCOW, September 1 (RAPSI) – Australia has expanded its sanctions against Russia which are now in line with the United States and European Union, AP agency reported on Monday, citing Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Australia first introduced financial sanctions and travel bans against specific Russian and Ukrainian nationals in March. After Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 was downed in eastern Ukraine, Abbott warned that sanctions could be toughened.

The new sanctions prohibit arms, oil and gas exports to Russia, access by Russian state-owned banks to the Australian capital market.

As a result, there are 113 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and 32 entities on the Australian blacklist at the moment.

In late July 2014, the EU followed the US in introducing sanctions against certain Russian industrial sectors over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In response, in August Russia suspended food imports from the EU, the United States and other Western countries for one year. The ban includes beef, pork, poultry, fruit, vegetables, cheese, dairy, nuts and other products. Later some food products, including lactose-free milk and dairy products, young salmon and trout, some vegetables and nutritional supplements, were removed from the blacklist.