Russia leaves open the possibility of responding to future G7 bans
On April 23, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated that Moscow would respond appropriately if the G7 countries imposed a ban on exports to Russia. He also left open the possibility that Moscow would terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement.
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Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. Photo: AFP/TTXVN |
On his Telegram account, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Medvedev stated that the idea of a complete ban on exports to Russia would mean that the G7 would stop importing Russian goods, especially those in the sensitive category. In addition, Russia would also stop implementing the grain agreement.
Bloomberg previously reported that G7 officials were discussing the possibility of a “complete ban on most exports” to Russia ahead of the G7 Summit scheduled to take place from May 19-21 in Hiroshima, Japan. Some products that could be exempted from this ban include pharmaceuticals, agricultural products and food.
A senior European Union (EU) official said the idea "has been under consideration for some time" but "was not discussed at the G7 agriculture ministers meeting in Japan" and was not mentioned in the joint statement of the meeting held on April 22-23 in the city of Miyazaki.
