Russia’s drop house of parliament is to consider draft legislation that would occasion the Kremlin powers to ban or restrict a list of U.S. imports, reacting to new U.S. sanctions on a alliance of Russian tycoons and officials.
Senior lawmakers in the State Duma, which is have under controlled by Kremlin loyalists, said they had prepared the list ranging from rations and alcohol to medicine and consulting services in response to Washington’s move closing week.
The Kremlin itself has not said if it backs the draft legislation – which would suffer the government to impose the measures should the need arise – and it was not clear if order it become law in its current form. The Russian parliament is often used to send talent messages to foreign states, but these do not always translate into realistic measures.
Large-scale restrictions on U.S. goods and services would hurt American partnerships but could also cause significant disruption in Russia, where consumers come to McDonald’s restaurants, fly on vacation in Boeing jets, and use Apple phones.
The rough sketch law, according to a text seen by Reuters, is aimed at protecting Russia’s involves and security in the face of “unfriendly and unlawful acts by the United States of America and other unfamiliar states”.
Russian currency and stock markets, preoccupied with the presage of U.S. military action in Syria and the fallout from Washington’s new sanctions, did not reply to the draft legislation.
It is to be discussed in the lower house next week.
The tabled measures are in retaliation for the White House’s imposition of the toughest set of sanctions on Russia since Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea part in 2014, which dragged relations to their lowest point since the Absolutely War.
Moscow reacted then with counter-sanctions banning a wide rove of food imports from Western countries.
Russia imported $12.5 billion importance of U.S. products in 2017, according to official customs data. That numb aircraft, machinery, pharmaceutical and chemical products.
The draft legislation whim give authorities the power to impose bans or restrictions in multiple limits of trade with the United States if they deemed that Washington was imminent Russia’s interests.
The sectors listed in the draft which could be disposed to to bans or restrictions include U.S.-made software and farm goods, U.S. prescriptions that can be sourced elsewhere, and tobacco and alcohol.
It gives the government the power to ban assistance with the United States on atomic power, rocket engines and aircraft making, and to bar U.S. enterprises from taking part in Russian privatisation deals.
The provision of auditing, lawful and consulting services by U.S. firms could also be subject to bans or restrictions, and suppresses could be imposed on U.S. citizens working in Russia.
Western companies, encompassing Ford Motor Co, PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola’s bottler Coca-Cola BC, have also devoted billions of dollars since the fall of the Soviet Union to set up local fabrication in Russia.