MOSCOW, August 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Wednesday banning imports of agricultural products from countries that imposed sanctions on Russia for one year.

The decree «prohibits or limits foreign trade operations to import to the Russian Federation certain types of agricultural products, originating from a country that decided to impose economic sanctions against Russian legal entities and/or individuals or those that joined these measures.»

 

The Kremlin said document was signed «in order to protect national interests of the Russian Federation» and comes into force immediately after being signed. The decision could be reviewed.

Putin has ordered the government to adopt measures together with national producers and retail networks to increase the share of domestically produced goods, the Kremlin said.

Earlier this week, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, in charge of the defense industry, said Moscow should respond to the Western sanctions with “full import replacement.”

The European Union, the United States, Canada and Japan have compiled sanctions lists against Russian companies, banks, politicians, freezing their bank accounts, banning them entry and refusing to buy Russian goods. The move has been linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly denied all the allegations saying it never interfered with the Ukrainian internal affairs and stressed that the sanctions policy was unacceptable and counterproductive.