Official: Economic tensions between Russia, Ukraine to continue

MOSCOW, Mar 13 (PRIME) -- Economic relations between neighboring countries of Russia and Ukraine will remain sour in the next several next few months, Deputy Economic Development Minister Alexei Likhachyov said Thursday.

“Negative trends in the trade and economic partnership with Ukraine are likely to remain in the next few months,” Likhachyov said.

Ukraine, the main route for Gazprom’s exports to Europe, ousted Russia-supported President Viktor Yanukovich in February and appointed parliament speaker Alexander Turchinov as the acting head of the country. In response Russia moved its troops to Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula, which will vote whether it wants to become part of Russia this weekend.

The E.U. agreed on a framework for its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, which would include slapping travel bans and asset freezes on an as-yet-undecided list of people and firms accused by Brussels of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Likhachyov said that Moscow does not rule out imposing sanctions against the E.U. and the U.S. if they penalize it for its actions in the Crimea.

“We are ready for any scenario, we are working on all options. But we hope that they impose some concrete political sanctions, not a wide set of trade and economic decisions. We will respond symmetrically, as a mirror,” he said.

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