UPDATE2: Ukrainian government expands list of Russian banned imports

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KIEV/MOSCOW, May 15 (PRIME) -- The Ukrainian government on Wednesday expanded a list of goods prohibited for imports from Russia by adding fertilizers, agricultural products, and vehicles.

The Ukrainian government also introduced special duties on a number of Russian goods, Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman said.

The country’s economy ministry said the duties will apply to all goods from Russia, except for coal, coke, gasoline, liquefied gas, and pharmaceuticals.

Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv said that the duties will be in force from August 1.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow’s recent ban on imports of Ukrainian goods was introduced in retaliation against Kiev’s expansion of the ban on imports of Russian goods.

“On the whole, we probably need to remember here that the previous decisions of the Russian side were provoked by the Ukrainian authorities,” Peskov said when asked about the Kremlin’s position on the new Ukrainian ban and Russia’s plan to retaliate.

In mid-April, Moscow banned imports of Ukrainian machines, exports of oil and oil products to Ukraine shortly after Kiev banned imports of glass canning jars, glass bottles and other glass containers for foods and beverages, carbamide-formaldehyde concentrate, resins, and electric accessories for commutation used in railway automatics equipment.

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