Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree banning Russian exports of coal, crude oil and oil products to Ukraine, he told government officials in televised comments on Thursday.
Starting June 1, the export of products listed in the decree will require a special permit, Interfax reported.
The decree will also ban the import into Russia of Ukrainian “engineering, light and metalworking products, which in the past year amounted to almost $250 million,” Medvedev said.
The move comes in response to Ukraine’s recent actions to embargo Russian products such as glassware and electrical equipment, he added.
“The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers took another unfriendly step towards our country, expanding the list of Russian goods prohibited for import into Ukraine. Under these conditions, we have to defend our interests and take retaliatory measures,” Medvedev was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Ukraine is preparing to hold the second round of its presidential election this Sunday and relations with Russia are a key campaign topic.
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
