Putin extends Crimea-related counter-sanctions against Western states for another year

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended the 2014 counter-sanctions package for another year. The penalties restricting imports from countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia will remain in place till the end of 2021.

The presidential decree, prolonging the restrictive measures until December 31, 2021, was published by the president’s office on Saturday.

The package bans the import of certain goods, such as agricultural products, meat, and fish, from countries that adopted restrictive measures against Russia.

It was originally introduced in August 2014 in response to a flurry of sanctions Moscow faced from the Western countries, including the US and EU member states, following the reunification of Crimea with Russia. Western nations introduced sanctions as they backed Ukraine in claiming that Crimea was illegally occupied and annexed by Moscow.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will not discuss the status of Crimea with anyone. In 2014, the peninsula held a referendum in which almost 97 percent of residents voted to re-join Russia.

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