Moscow Mulls Possibility of Bringing US to WTO Trial Over New Tariffs - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is exploring the possibility of bringing the United States to the trial of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over the country's imposition of duties on imported steel and aluminum, a senior Russian Economic Development Ministry official said on Wednesday.

"We do not rule this out. The United States has faced legal proceedings in individual countries… we are currently examining this issue, it is possible that we will consider bringing the United States to the WTO trial over the tariffs on steel and aluminum," head of the ministry's trade negotiations department Maksim Medvedkov said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Medvedkov indicated that for Russia the duties issue was of significant importance since the country's supplies of steel and aluminum to the United States are estimated at billions of dollars.

"It is an important issue for us… we with the main suppliers have common interests, which we can defend in many ways, including through the WTO. We are currently working on it in an active manner," Medvedkov said.

In late March, the United States imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel products and 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum products. The US government then granted temporary exemptions to the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which expired on June 1.